Frozen: A Sky of Shadows
by InfiniteAssassin
Summary: Things have been great in Arendelle. Anna and Kristoff have a baby daughter and Elsa is going to marry the man she loves, Kai (OC). But, when an ancient evil awakens, a dark prophecy begins to unfold. The world is set to be shrouded in a never ending darkness. The fate of the world is put into the hands of our unlikely heroes, and the ultimate battle between good and evil begins.
1. Prologue: The Prophecy

**This fanfiction is rated T for intense action, violence, language, use of alcohol, suggestive themes and references, and an overall dark mood. **

For new readers, please read my author's note.

Author's Note: The long awaited sequel to Frozen III: The Coming Storm is finally here. For those of you who did not know, this story is indeed a sequel to two fanfictions; Frozen II: Phoenix Fire and Frozen III: The Coming Storm. I apologize that it is not stated in the summary. But, please, I recommend that you do not click away if you planned on doing it because this is a sequel. I have written the summaries for both Frozen II: Phoenix Fire and Frozen III: The Coming Storm below. If you have already read both stories, feel free to skip it and dive straight into this story. If you have not read both, here are your options: A. Go read both stories which will take a few hours to finish reading (they are both very good I assure you) B. Read the summaries I have written. (They may not be as detailed as the stories themselves but they'll give you a basic gist of everything). Ciao.

Also, the writing for Pheonix Fire is not nearly as good as The Coming Storm.

**Frozen II: Phoenix Fire Summary**

Kai is a boy around Elsa's age who has pyrokineses (fire powers) and lives in a country called Teranhall which is a neighboring country to Arendelle. He accidentally blasts his best friend, Deren, in the face with fire around the same time Elsa struck Anna's head. Kai is then banished from his home village/town. Kai eventually comes across the capitol of Teranhall, Teranhall Keep. There, he is introduced to the Bandit Organization (a group of people who steal and hurt others in order to sustain themselves) by the King of Teranhall, King Lyre, who also happens to be the leader of the Bandits. Lyre started the Bandits in hopes of getting revenge on the citizens of his city as they do not respect his rule.

Years pass (one year after Frozen) and Kai becomes one of the strongest members of the Bandits along with a mysterious masked man named Strife. King Lyre introduces the Conduit, an ancient artifact capable of extracting and transferring energy, to Kai. He plans to use the Conduit to take Elsa's powers away from her, knowing she has ice powers, and use them to create an eternal winter for Teranhall as a final act of revenge. Lyre orders Kai to kidnap Elsa. Kai, now seeing the error of his ways, abandon the Bandits secretly and travels to Arendelle by ship in hopes of warning and protecting Elsa.

In Arendelle, Elsa is romantically involved with her Captain of the Guard, Travis Summers and Anna and Kristoff are about to be married. Kai arrives in Arendelle, and after a struggle with the authorities, Kai interrupts Kristoff and Anna's wedding. The wedding is cancelled although the party after is not, and Kai is arrested. Elsa has a short conversation with Kai in prison and returns to the party.

The party is ruined by a group of Bandits sent to do what was supposed to be Kai's mission. Kai, who escaped custody, saves Elsa from the Bandits but Anna is kindapped. Kai tells them everything they need to know about the Bandits, hiding the fact that he used to be one himself. Elsa and Travis prepare for a mission to save Anna, not allowing Kai to go, and Kristoff is left to take care of Arendelle.

Kai and Olaf stow away on the ship but are eventually caught. They are allowed to be part of the mission, but Travis reveals to Kai that he knows Kai's secret but decides to just keep it between the two. Later, Kai notices something wrong with the journey and it is revealed that Travis along with everyone else on the ship besides the protagonists are Bandits. The ship catches fire, but Kai, Elsa, and Olaf escape via row boat and Kai manages to keep his secret.

The trio find themselves on an island and narrowly escape an erupting volcano. In a forest, Kai has a secret conversation with Strife and Kai convinces Strife that he is still loyal to the Bandits to which Strife believes but not really. Kai, Elsa, and Olaf enter a fishing village where they encounter a disgraced Duke of Weseltown who gives them a ship. The three take the ship to Teranhall, and during the trip, Kai and Elsa fall in love and share a kiss.

In Teranhall, they find Kai's old home but it is completely destroyed and deserted. Kai discovers his mother is dead and unleashes his anger in the form of a fiery vortex. Elsa is forced to freeze Kai's heart to calm him down. Then, Strife reveals himself along with other Bandits and tells Kai that it was the Bandits who destroyed the village. He also tells Elsa the truth about Kai's past. Kai is subdued and put on his ship which drifts back to Arendelle along with Olaf. Elsa is captured but manages to freeze Strife's heart.

Kai teams up with Kristoff along with Olaf and Sven to save their friends. They use a flying machine Elsa mentioned to get to Teranhall quickly. In Teranhall, Lyre manages to extract Elsa's powers and create the winter. The boys crash land in the city and head towards the castle. Kai fights Strife while Kristoff and Olaf go after the girls. Kai and Strife find themselves on the roof of Teranhall castle and Strife reveals himself to be Deren, now scarred and seeking revenge on Kai. Both succumb to their Frozen hearts and turn into solid ice.

Anna convinces Lyre to turn good and he frees them and returns Elsa her powers. They all go to the roof and Elsa stops the eternal winter but they find Kai and Deren as ice. Lyre uses the Conduit to heal Kai but it is then destroyed. Kai uses his own powers to heal Deren. Kai lets Deren go after.

Days past, and Lyre is now a better King. Anna and Kristoff are married, but Kai decides he should leave his friends. Elsa convinces him to stay, and they share another kiss.

Elsewhere, Hans promises revenge.

**Frozen III: The Coming Storm Summary**

A few weeks after the events of Frozen, Hans is forgiven by his father but his two oldest brothers, Ander (the oldest) and Christian, are skeptical.

Many months past (a few months after Phoenix Fire) and Kai is Elsa's new Captain of the Guard. He is on a ship where he encounters Deren. The ship begins to sink, and all but Kai, Deren, and the captain are left. Deren shoots Kai with a pistol and Kai is presumaby killed.

Monthe later, Hans convinces his father that Elsa is a threat to the world and decides to hold a war council where they agree to declare war on Arendelle in order to defeat Elsa. It is Elsa's birthday in the winter. She has isolated herself from the world once again after Kai's death. That night, Kai reveals himself to still be alive but very weak with an injury in his shoulder. He explains to his friends that Deren was killed when he was struck by lightning and that Kai barely made it off the ship.

The next morning, Elsa recieves a letter informing her about the war. She calls for a peace council which many monarchs and representatives agree to go to including King Lyre, the monarchs of Corona, Hans and his brothers (discluding their father and Ander). Rapunzel and her husband, Eugene, go to Arendelle in hopes of making amends with Elsa and Anna because their parents perished on the journey to Rapunzel's wedding.

During the peace council, Kai and Elsa attacked by man named Cade, and while they chase Cade around the castle, Cade's lover, Lilith, and many other men attack and kidnap the councilmen leaving only Hans. Cade escapes and Kai and Elsa are too late to save the councilmen. The next morning, a meeting is held concerning the kidnapping. Hans accuses Elsa of being responsible which she denies. When Elsa and Kai are left alone, Cade appears and easily subdues Kai. He gives them the coordinates to where they are keeping the councilmen and escapes.

In the Southern Isles, the king is killed by Cade with Hans in the room. It is revealed that Cade and Hans are working together as part of Hans' plan to get revenge on Elsa and Anna and as part of Cade's lifelong goal to hurt the fortunate. Hans blames Kai for killing the Kingand an angry Ander declares war on Arendelle.

Elsa sends a majority of her guards to search for the councilmen in the snow covered woods. Anna is denied the chance to help. Later, Ander arrives in Arendelle, blockading the city with his navy. He gives Elsa three days, including that day, to prove their innocence or else he will destroy the city. That night, Anna leaves secretly in hopes of saving Arendelle by finding the councilmen along with Rapunzel, who hopes to endure her parents' safety. Kristoff, Eugene, Olaf, Sven, and Maximus leave togeher that same night to look for their missing wives.

The next morning, Kai leaves with Elsa's permission to find their friends. Anna and Rapunzel, after encountering wolves and some men at Oaken's, find themselves captured in a cave underground run by Bandits who are not disbanded. Kai, who tracked them down, frees them and the base is destroyed. After interrogating a Bandit, it is revealed that the Bandits continued to thrive under Cade and Lilith and that the coordinates that Cade has provided lead to a trap. The councilmen are truly being kept in Elsa's Ice Palace in the North Mountain where Cade and Lilith have taken refuge.

Kai reluctantly agrees to accompany the girls on their quest. Lilith leaves the North Mountain to assassinate Elsa. That night, the night before the deadline the next afternoon, Kai, Anna, and Rapunzel are attacked in a pub in the forest. Kai loses his left ring finger during the struggle and is poisoned though they don't know it yet. They barely escape with their lives.

Kristoff and his party arrive at the given coordinates and find that it is overrun by Bandits and that the guards Elsa sent are now captured. They liberate the guards and take the base. They learn where the councilmen truly are and embark to the North Mountain,in hopes of theirs wives going there as well, while the guards return to Arendelle. Elsa is attacked by Lilith, but Elsa defeats Lilith. The next morning, Elsa tried to use Lilith to prove her innocence but it is not enough for Ander. Lilith is then taken to a prison far away from Arendelle.

Kai separates from Anna and Rapunzel and apparently succumbs to his poison. Kai returns to the land of the living after a small trip to limbo where he encounters his mother, and heads to the North Mountain. In Elsa's Palace, Cade captured Rapunzel and is about to kill Anna but Kai saves her. Kristoff and the others enter the castle and free Rapunzel and the councilmen. Anna and everyone else, excluding Kai, run to Arendelle via horses to stop Ander and Hans, Hans' treachery revealed.

Kai defeats Cade in a fight, both sustaining many injuries. Cade kills himself by jumping into the chasm below Elsa's Palace, rather not living his life under those he hates. Kai believes he has failed to help Cade see the good in the world. The palace begins to collapse and Kai barely escapes.

In Arendelle, Ander sees the councilmen right before he fired upon Arendelle, and Christian, who was held captive, tells Ander everything, therefore Arendelle's innocence was proven. The next day, Kai, who had just returned home, stops Hans from assassinating Elsa and Hans is arrested. Soon, during a trip to the beach, Kai props es to Elsa, who agrees, and Anna is revealed to be pregnant.

Months later, Anna gives birth to a baby girl, Lena, and Kai leaves to the city to investigate something.

In the end, Deren is revealed to still be alive with new electric powers.

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><p>Author's Note: Now, without further ado, I present to you Frozen: A Sky of Shadows! The chapter will be very short compared to future chapters.<p>

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><p><strong>"People may believe that light shall conquer all, but when the world is engulfed in a sky of shadows, and there is no light left which can conquer, what will they believe? Only then can they see that darkness is the strongest force. The darkness is the only thing they can believe to be real. But, once they understand that, they will realize that there is nothing they can do. All they can do is burn." - Mara, the Agent of Darkness<strong>

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><p><strong>Prologue: The Prophecy<strong>

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><p>Many years before Frozen...<p>

Grand Pabbie was curled up in his rock form, not moving an inch as he was resting. Countless other trolls surrounded him, also in their rock form, making a large empty circle about fifteen feet in diameter around him. The night was rather peaceful. Not many noises came out of the forest that the Valley of the Living Rock was located in. The bright full moon shined it's light beautifully over the clear patch of land. The night could be considered perfect by many others. But, Pabbie's slumber was not that deep. He kept an ear open, even while in his rock form. He always did that in case danger ever arose. That habit was just about to prove itself useful, but not in the way Pabbie thought.

Whispers. The whispers of children it was. They weren't loud enough to wake many up, but they were loud and close enough for Pabbie to be alarmed. He sensed no threat in the whispers. The high-itched voices indicated that they were children, and with children came innocence. No doubt that the children wanted Pabbie to read to them a story before bed. Some nights, they would request that Pabbie would tell them a story at night so they had something to dream about and re-enact. Pabbie believed that he was beginning to run out of stories to tell them. He had told so many already. But, of course, he would think up of something. He was wise enough to make up a story on the spot.

Pabbie changed into his humanoid form and looked at the children to the side. Inside the empty space created along with Pabbie was a little Kristoff, Sven, and two child trolls. Kristoff wore his normal outfit which he would use to go out and attempt to mine ice with. The troll children had yet to earn any crystals to put around their necks. Pabbie recalled how long it has been since Kristoff became a member of their family. A year, Pabbie remembered. In that time, the trolls have really learned how to warm up with the human and he did the same to his new family. Sven's antlers were still developing and they were nothing more than white stubs on his head. A large book was in Kristoff's hands, about the size of half of his body. Kristoff seemed to be struggling with carrying it.

"Hello children." Pabbie whispered, smiling gently.

"Hi Grand Pabbie." The children said in unison, softly so they won't wake up the other trolls.

Pabbie looked at the book Kristoff had. The exterior was made of leather and was torn and ruined. It was obvious that the book had gone through rough times. Pabbie wondered how old it was. It surely was fragile and required the utmost care, he thought.

"What do you have there?" Pabbie asked Kristoff, as if it wasn't obvious from a single glance.

Kristoff took a step closer to Pabbie and dropped the book. He didn't drop it very gently as it fell on the ground with a thud. Dust danced over the book and around it. Kristoff wiped some of the dust away from his face, managing back a sneeze for the trolls' sakes.

"It's an old book we found." Kristoff explained. "We have no idea what's it about yet."

"Where did you find this?" Pabbie asked.

"In the woods." One of the trolls answered.

"What were you doing in the woods, Kristoff?" Pabbie asked. "You know how dangerous it is out there without supervision." Pabbie did his best to talk in a voice that showed concern and authority but in no way showed any hostility. He wanted Kristoff to know his dangerous choice was frowned upon.

"I'm sorry." Kristoff apologized. "It's just that I needed to tinkle really badly and I didn't want to wake anyone up."

"Why do you only like to tinkle in the woods?" Pabbie asked.

"Moving on." Kristoff asserted. "Anyway, I found this book near the tree I was tinkling on. It had lots of things covering it but I luckily found it just fine."

Pabbie looked down at the book and turned it towards his direction. The book was just as big as Pabbie was, but looked much lighter. Of course, a rock would be much heavier than a book. Pabbie wiped the dirt off of the book cover and looked to see the title of it. Unexpectedly, there was no title at all. It was just plain brown leather. Could it be a journal? A diary? Because of the lack of title, Pabbie questioned whether there were any words in the book at all. He flipped open the cover and, indeed, found words in black ink and cursive. He then closed the book and looked back at the children.

"You want me to read you this?" Pabbie asked.

Kristoff nodded quickly and the troll children smiled in agreement. Sven walked up behind Kristoff and lay on the ground. Kristoff, too, lay on the ground, his head and neck on Sven, using Sven as a sort of pillow. The troll children walked up next to Kristoff and Sven and dropped onto their bottoms, awaiting for Pabbie to read the story.

"Okay then..." Pabbie said. He opened up to the first page and began to read to the children. He realized that it was a journal entry with no date.

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><p><em>Some people may call what I'm about to describe a myth. The full details to the event were lost as time progressed, and all of those who were there to experience it are now in the ground. I'm not sure if anyone truly believes this anymore. This story has been passed down to me from my father, and he was told it by his father, and so forth. I'm not sure if I even believe it myself as it is too ridiculous to even be real. No one I know knows this story, and that may be for the best. I am writing it down only because I have no sons of my own, and I won't allow the story to be lost forever.<em>

_A long time ago, about three thousand years or so, there was a time of magic. A time of darkness. Four individuals, descendants of spirits and gods as some may say, had control over the elements fire, ice, lightning, and darkness itself. Some say that they have cursed themselves with the powers in that time while others may say that they were blessed by the mythical trolls. It mattered not how they came across these powers._

_The woman who had control over darkness was the leader and the strongest out of the four. All used their powers for mischief, using them in unholy manners. The normal humans have grown to despise them so. Because of their resentment in society, they decided to take revenge on those who hated and feared them. Together, through unholy dark magic, they forged a dark staff which harnessed the dark one's powers and made her stronger than ever. The combined power of the staff and the blood of the powered elementals allowed for the dark one to put the world into an eternal darkness. It is said that the sky turned black and evil creatures made of pure darkness spawned around the earth. No light from the sun or moon shined upon the world. If it weren't for man made light, such as fire, the world would've been pitch black. The plants started dying, and because of that, so did the animals. Food was becoming scarce._

_The other three powered individuals, the fire, ice, and lightning users, disapproved of everything following the eternal shadow. After seeing the humans suffer greatly, the three had finally seen the error of their ways. They betrayed the dark one and joined the race of men. The three were able to muster a large army of men to use against their former ally. The army of men met the dark one's hoard of creatures in battle. But, the army of men proved to be too weak. Although the creatures could die, they were much stronger under the shadowy sky. Most of the army died in that battle. _

_All hope seemed to be lost. There was only one more hope for mankind's salvation; the trolls. The trolls and humans have never been very close with each other, but they had to work together in order to defeat the new menace. Using the magic of trolls and the metal of men, a single sword was forged that harnessed light. Mankind and the elementals asked for more magic from the trolls, but believing that mankind would misuse all of that power, they refused. Using the sword of light, Ludicium, the elementals and the few men that were alive in the army marched into battle against the dark one. _

_The battle was said to have lasted many days. The side of light suffered many casualties. Eventually, the elementals used the sword of light against the dark one and destroyed her body. Her spirit, however, was still alive. Before anything else could happen, the trolls trapped the dark spirit inside a prison which is not meant to be found. The staff, as it had no connection to it's master, lost all power and became nothing more than a normal staff. Both were put in a place meant for no one to find. That was not the end of the trolls' deeds. Believing that Ludicium, the sword of light, was too powerful for men to use, the trolls locked it away as well, telling it's location to no one._

_They all hoped that it would be the end of the dark uprising. Soon, though, the troll leader provided a prophecy which he believed was inevitable. _

_"The darkness shall come, from one who's not hallow. The world will soon plummet, in an eternal shadow." The troll leader believed that one day, the dark one will return, and the world will be put under an eternal shadow once again._

_Like I said, this is all just a lost story. That's all I hope it is. All of this seems so ridiculous and unnatural. I can't imagine all of this actually taking place. This all sounds like nothing more than a fairy tale._

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><p>That's where the story ended. Pabbie flipped through the pages of the large book and found that it all was empty. No other words were written down in the large book. Pabbie feared that the writer met his untimely end before writing down any other entries. He looked down at the children. All seemed to be asleep already. Kristoff snoozed with his head over Sven's back and the troll children were already in their rock form. Pabbie wondered if they even heard him read most of the story. In a way, he was glad that they didn't hear all of it. This tale was not one that was for children.<p>

Pabbie's eyes were wide open. The story replayed in his mind, haunting him. He hoped that it was not true. He hoped that it was not real. He wouldn't have believed it at all if it wasn't for one detail. The name Ludicium was very familiar to him. He, and all trolls, were very acquainted with the name. Most had no idea what it was. All they knew was it's location and that it was a secret that the trolls should keep to themselves. Could it be that the Ludicium that Pabbie knew was the sword of light itself? He hoped that it was just a coincidence that the names were the same. But, many of the things said in the story did not seem like coincidences to Pabbie. Before, Pabbie knew nothing of the darkness nor did he know that there were people with powers before Elsa who came to him a long time ago.

This was a tale lost with time. For all he knew, Pabbie was the only living thing that knows this story. It was not something that he should run around spreading. Ludicium was the only thing that gave Pabbie an uneasy feeling that this story was perhaps an actual event. But, that would be ridiculous. Dark creatures? A staff of darkness? That was something Pabbie believed to be folly. He was no stranger to people with magic abilities, though. Elsa, for example, had magic powers just like the elementals in the story. Pabbie did not know if there were others in the world like Elsa.

The prophecy was what made him the most uneasy. It sounded like something a troll would actually predict. Luckily, there were no signs of darkness in the world like the one described. Pabbie hoped that, if the story was indeed true, the darkness would never come. He could not imagine a world in an eternal darkness. He believed that it was just a myth, though. No way would there be enough magic to do that to the world. It was unnatural and didn't make sense. This magic does not exist, Pabbie was sure.

Pabbie put together the similarities to the story and the current world. There is something called the Ludicium that the trolls must keep secret. There are such a thing as powers. Other than that, there were no other similarities. So, he finally decided that the story was indeed a fraud. It was just a tale to entertain others with. The proof of it actually have taken place was very faint or non-existent.

He couldn't let others worry about this story. He knew that he should just keep it to himself. That would probably be best for everybody.

"It's just a tale." Pabbie whispered to himself. "I hope..."

Little did he know that it was more than just a tale. Little did he know that darkness will rise.

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><p><strong>Frozen: A Sky of Shadows<strong>

**Written by InfiniteAssassin**

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><p>Author's Note: This chapter is about 4600 words in all, including the summaries. The prologue is truly about 2500 words. The future chapters will be much longer and intense, I assure you. I know how confusing all of this magic stuff may be, but trust me, stick around and it will pay off nicely. Please reviewcomment on this first chapter! I'm going to tease the next chapter with this; you're going to see a familiar yet unfriendly face: Lilith. Also, I will have a little trouble writing some chapters because I use my iPad a lot when writing, and my iPad is really old. I have iOS 8 on it and the performance is horrible. Please forgive me! Ciao.

Also, as some of you may know, I have applied both Phoenix Fire and The Coming Storm to get the I.C.E. award from author, SophisticatedGrace. Unfortunately, I was denied twice. I just wanted to let you know that I won't try a third time.

You guys also have to know that I don't read fanfiction at all. I only write it. So, if there is ever something you see in my story that is similar to another fic, don't sue me!

**Important**

I decided to start something called the question of the day where I ask you guys a question and you answer it in the reviews. The best answer will be acknowledged in the next chapter in an author's note and you will be praised. Also, I can't come up with all of these question on my own. If you have a suggestion for a question, shoot me a PM if you're a user, but if you're a guest, then just write it down in the comments/review section. They can be related to anything media. I'm doing this because I want as much interaction with you guys that I possibly can have.

**QOTD: Do you think Kai is a hero or an anti-hero and why?**


	2. Darkness Shall Return

Author's Note: Yes, the picture for the story is indeed the master sword from The Legend of Zelda. Every picture I use is related to something in the story. Also, I didn't know what they were really called, but I'm just going to call them metal prison carriages in this chapter. You'll see what I mean.

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><p><strong>Darkness Shall Return<strong>

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><p>A few months after the epilogue of Frozen III: The Coming Storm<p>

In the fall...

On the side of a mountain, a metal carriage-like prison was being rolled behind two horses, both roped to one another and chained to the carriage. The carriage was like a large, metal box with no windows but with two doors that would open in the back of it. In the front of it was a platform in which the man directing it could sit on and direct the horses where to go. The wheels were made out of metal as well. Inside the carriage were three bench-like metal chairs; one on the right side, one on the left side, and one on the side opposite to the doors. From the inside, there was no way to know what was going on in the outside because of the lack of visual aid. This made sure that the prisoners these carriages usually transported would never get any ideas.

There was a trail that was on the side of the mountain that the carriage was taking. It overlooked a valley which contained a river that flowed the same direction the carriage was going. It was very dangerous for the carriage because there was a large, steep slope right next to the trail. One wrong move and the entire carriage along with the horses would go rolling down the steep hill. It was a very dangerous path that most people would not take. It led to one place; a prison. Not just any prison. This prison holds some of the most despicable people in the world. Traveling there was like traveling to hell itself. It lay at the end of the trail which went so far that the mountains it connected to could not be seen from the prison.

Inside the carriage was none other than Lilith, who played a vital role in the skirmish between Arendelle and the Southern Isles. Her previous prison was apparently not enough to keep her obedient. After multiple escape attempts which resulted in the deaths of many of the guards, it was obvious to all of the officials that she needed to be sent somewhere else. That's why Lilith now found herself in the carriage.

She wore brown rags with no shoes on her feet. Her red hair was messy and all tangled up. Her wrists were chained together by hand cuffs. She had seen better days, that was for sure. But, that's how they treated prisoners. She was treated like she was nothing more than an animal. Killing some of the guards in her previous prison did, however, make her feel better.

Two guards were in the carriage with her. While she sat on the middle bench, one guard sat on the right bench and another on the left. Both wore dark blue clothes and black boots. They were told to keep an eye on Lilith and make sure she didn't do anything stupid while being transported. They both carried a dagger to ensure that nothing bad would come out of Lilith. They both were still cautious, though, because, as they were told, Lilith was unpredictable. Who knew what she could do?

"You haven't exactly told me where we're going." Lilith explained to the guards.

"You don't need to know." The guard to Lilith's right said.

"Well, if this concerns me, then I believe I deserve to know." Lilith said.

The guards were both unsure whether they should tell Lilith the truth or not. If they did, would Lilith be okay with it? There wasn't much she could do with the information now, however. Either way, she was going to find out sooner or later their destination. They might as well tell her there to save her the worry. Still, they were not exactly willing to give into Lilith's demands.

Lilith knew exactly how stubborn these guards could be. Unfortunately for them, she knew how to get what she wanted. She took a second to think of a method. Soon, she thought of the perfect method.

"How many friends of yours have I killed?" Lilith asked.

"You're a mental case that kills unnecessarily for fun." Said the guard on her left. "It's so important to you, so I'm sure you have some sort of head count in your mind."

Lilith shook her head and stuck out her tongue. The guard's grip on his dagger tightened and he clenched his teeth. Lilith noticed his rising anger and was proud of herself. She was getting him exactly where she wanted him.

"You killed eight of my friends." The guard said.

"Wow." Lilith said. "Only eight? I could've sworn I've killed less guards than that. But, since it's so much of a habit, I guess when I kill, it feels natural... Like breathing, for example."

"Yeah, well, you better break that habit." The guard said.

"I don't think so." Lilith said. "It's a fun habit. One of the very few."

"If you don't break it, where you're going, it will break by itself. The guards in your new prison are the best and strongest. They'll make sure to put you in your place." The guard said, smug.

Gotcha, Lilith thought. A little taunting was just enough to get her what she wanted. People were so typically stupid, she thought. Lilith can get watch she wants by bending with this stupidity. She had a feeling she knew what brought this stupidity; other people. When trying to defend someone you care about, whether it be honor or body, then recklessness gets into one's head. Lilith lost all chance of getting this recklessness when she lost Cade; the only person in this world who she cared about and cared about her.

By the small description of this place, Lilith had a feeling that she knew exactly where she was headed. Indeed, it was not a place that she wanted to go. She has heard that no one has ever escaped this prison, and there were more skilled individuals than Lilith put in it. If there was ever a chance of her escaping custody, now would be it. She had to get what she wanted most; revenge on Elsa and her friends.

Lilith looked around to examine things to see if she could find an escape. She looked closely at the door lock and found that it was very weak. If a little force was applied, she could kick the doors open with ease.

That would be her ticket out of there. The only problem was, though, that the guards were still with her and armed. She was also at a disadvantage since she was handcuffed. She knew that one of the guards had the keys. She looked down at the waists of both men and found that the one on her right had the key. It was tied to his large belt. The guard noticed that Lilith was looking down at the key, and he casually placed his hand over it.

"I don't think so." The guard said. "To be honest, you look nicer with your cuffs on."

"You really think I look nice?" Lilith asked.

"Don't flatter yourself." The guard said.

"Someone's gotta do it." Lilith said. "Are you sure you think I don't look nice."

The guard nodded. Lilith then turned towards the man on her left, deciding that it was time that she started to mess with him. He gave her a frowning face, knowing that he was not going to enjoy the things Lilith was about to say.

"You got a sweetheart back home?" Lilith asked.

"Who wants to know?" The man asked. "And why does it matter."

"It really doesn't." Lilith said. "But, I'm sure that you do have a sweetheart. I'm also sure that she is sleeping with someone else as we speak."

The man clenched his teeth. "Why you-!" He said. He reached his hand out towards Lilith in a hostile manner, ready to teach Lilith a lesson. Before his hand even got close to her, she grabbed it with her cuffed hands and held it tight. Lilith then jerked and twisted it. The guard let out a howl, indicating how much pain he was in. Lilith had just broken his wrist. All of this happened too fast for the other guard to react on time. When he finally realized what Lilith was trying to do, it was too late. Lilith swung her flexible leg at him, her bare foot smacking his face and breaking his nose.

When Lilith let her foot down, he grabbed his nose in pain. When he looked down at his hands, he found that they were bloody. He didn't know exactly how his nose looked but he knew for sure that it wasn't as straight as it usually was. Never before has a prisoner ever inflicted this kind of pain on him. Unfortunately for him, he didn't know how unpredictable Lilith could be. He also didn't know how strong Lilith's leg was. One smack and his nose was broken in the blink of an eye.

Lilith refocused herself on the guard on her left who had tears coming out of his eyes because of his broken wrist. Lilith lunged her upper body forward and extended her arms. She smacked him in the face with her cuffed hands, hitting him in the nose and upper lip. When she took her hands away, she could already see that he was bleeding from his nose. His upper lip had a small cut on it, but it wasn't bleeding as badly as his nose. In his pain, he let go of the dagger that was in his other hand.

While he was stunned, Lilith stood up and turned toward the man on her right, still sitting on the bench. He had a second to get himself together and prepare for Lilith. Unfortunately, Lilith already had everything planned out. She raised her right foot and shot it down at the man's crotch. His eyes widened and he wheezed in pain. When Lilith took her foot away, he instantly reached for his crotch in hopes of comforting it to stop his pain.

Lilith turned towards the left guard and grabbed his hair. She quickly yanked him out of his seat and the two were standing up, the guard standing between the other guard and Lilith. She let go of his hair and swung her chains over his head and around his neck. Lilith crossed her wrists, forcing the chains to tighten around the guard's neck, depriving him of oxygen. Lilith then loosened the hold, allowing him to take a few more breaths, but she still had her hold. She could've easily killed him in a matter of seconds.

She didn't like the fact that he towered over her. She used her knee to hit him in the back of his knee, forcing him to fall onto the floor and onto his knees. He was too focused on the hold Lilith had on him that he completely ignored the pain on his knees. Now, Lilith's head stood at least two feet higher than his head did. The other guard snapped out of his daze and looked at his friend and Lilith. He picked up his dagger which was laying on the seat right next to him, stood up, and pointed it at Lilith. They stood about eight feet away from each other. Now that they thought about it, the prison-carriage was rather large.

Before he could take a step towards Lilith with his dagger, Lilith tsked.

"Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. No. No. No." Lilith said quickly. "I don't think so." She then shook her chains that were around the guards neck to visually explain her threat.

"Just stab her!" The incapacitated guard ordered. "Don't worry about me!"

"Unlike me, he worries." Lilith told the guard she had in her hands. She then tightened her chains by crossing her wrists, signaling the guard to not say another word or he'll be having a dinner with death in a matter of seconds.

"Don't hurt him." The free guard demanded. Lilith uncrossed her wrists, allowing him to continue breathing. "What do you want?!"

Lilith smirked. "It's something simple, really. I just want these off, and to do that, I need your key."

The guard nodded and slowly reached for the key he had on his waist. His hands were shaking as he reached it. He slowly raised it up for Lilith to see, his hands still shaking. Lilith noticed the fear he was in. This brought her mild amusement. She just loved it when people were scared to death by her, especially Cade. If there was one thing her deceased lover was scared by, it was Lilith. The fact that she made him pee his pants is another reason why he lover her so.

Lilith opened her hand so the palm of it was facing the top of the carriage. Her hand was next to the guard's head. The other guard cautiously tossed Lilith the key to which she flawlessly caught with her hand. She then used the key to unlock the chain that was around her right wrist, then she passed the key over to her right hand, and she finally unlocked the chain that was around her left wrist. The handcuffs with the long chain in between fell to the ground in front of the guard Lilith had kneeling in front of her.

"Thank you." Lilith said. She then grabbed the guard she had by the shoulders and swung him behind her, his body heading towards the doors. His body crashed through the doors, opening them. He then fell out of carriage. His body flew out and rolled on the ground outside the moving carriage. He then rolled off the path and onto the slope where he tumbled down.

Lilith turned to man behind her just in time to see him attack her.

"Why you!" The man said. He lunged at her with his dagger, but she casually sidestepped it. She then grabbed his wrist with her right hand and made sure her grip was tight and strong. She then grabbed the dagger by the handle and yanked it away from the man's hand. She then jerked his arm so that his body flew closer to hers. Quickly, she stabbed him in his stomach with the dagger and took it out, dropping it on the floor.

The man's eyes widened and he let out a weak groan. Lilith brought him closer to her, grabbing the collar of his clothes.

"Hasta la vista." Lilith whispered. She then threw him out of the carriage as well, his body rolling on the path. Although he didn't roll down the slope, he was sure to die from blood lost.

Lilith stood at the edge of the carriage, it was still in motion. The one manning the horses still had no idea what had just happened. Perhaps things would be better than way. Lilith climbed to the top of the carriage, trying her best not to lose her grip or footing as that would have disastrous consequences that Lilith did not want to face. She could've ended up like the first guard she killed on the trip, assuming he was dead for sure. Honestly, Lilith didn't care. As long as he was out of her way, she was fine.

Lilith tried her best to keep her balance while on top of the wooden carriage. Only there did she that she was traveling on a mountainside and she saw how dangerous her path was. One slip, and she was done for. But, danger always excited Lilith in some weird, demented way only she could find enjoyment in. She was the personification of crazy, and everyone knew it. The sad part was that she knew it as well.

Unfortunately for Lilith, the road wasn't as smooth as she thought it was. While traveling, there was a bump on the road that forced Lilith to lose her balance. Her body leaned over to the side of the carriage while she flailed her arms around to keep balance. The balance could not be kept. She fell off the carriage and onto the mountainside. Her body rolled down the mountain and towards the trees at the bottom of it all.

As she rolled, she felt pain that she had never felt before. She could've sworn that she broke a rib or two. Bruises would begin to appear all over her body. Cuts appeared just as much. She couldn't focus on anything because her world was spinning and the pain was too much for her. It didn't allow her to focus on anything. If Lilith wasn't a strong woman, she would've died easily. Unfortunately for the good guys out there, Lilith was a very strong woman. Her durability matched her insanity.

Before her body could crash into a tree that was at the bottom of the mountain, miraculously, she fell into a dark hole that was in front of the tree. Lilith then fell into complete darkness.

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><p><strong>In another moment down went Alice after it, never once considering how in the world she was to get out again.<strong>

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><p>When Lilith woke, she found herself in a dark cave. The only source of light was the natural hole above her, shining down sunlight into the cave. The light shined upon Lilith who was laying on the ground. The cave was fairly large. In the middle of it all was a small body of water. It was like a large, deep puddle. In one side of the puddle, a staff stood out of the ground. It was obvious that no one has occupied this place in a long time. It could've been centuries ago that anyone has ever stepped foot in the cave.<p>

The staff that was there was about six feet tall. It was completely black with two hooks meeting each other at the top end of it. Other than that, the staff seemed rather plain and there was nothing else unique to it.

Lilith felt most of her pain in her rib cage. She was lucky to have survived the fall. Most people would've broken their necks, but not Lilith. Out of all people, she was the one to have persevered through such a predicament. But, in no way was she in good shape. Her hair was messy with one million things inside of it. Her arms and legs were bruised and scraped. Some of her bones were broken. Still, she was alive. For how long, though, is the question.

Lilith slowly got up, blood dripping down her head from a cut. She turned her head to examine the environment that she was currently in. She did not pay attention on how exactly she got there, but she was there now with no idea how to get out. The only exit, it seemed, was the way she got in: through a hole. But, she had no means to get to the hole and was too weak to try anything out.

Lilith then looked over at the staff. Lilith pondered on what it was exactly and what was it's purpose. She took a step towards the staff, but then she got a spine-tingling feeling.

"Who goes there?" asked a disembodied, feminine, raspy voice.

Lilith could have peed her pants. She has never been as startled as she was in her life. She quickly turned her body around, trying to see if she could pinpoint where the voice came from. But, there was no one else inside the cave. It was only Lilith. Lilith has seen many strange things in her life, but this was, by far, the strangest. She didn't believe in ghosts, but after hearing this voice, she was about to change her mind.

"Show yourself!" Lilith demanded. "Where are you!?"

"I am everywhere and nowhere." The voice said.

Lilith, once again, got the spine-tingling feeling. She had a feeling that it wasn't the voice causing this. It was her own fear. Lilith feared little in this world, but she just found something else to fear. But, was it the voice that feared Lilith or the unknown. The unknown is what fears many.

"Who are you?" Lilith asked.

"My name is Mara." The voice said.

"Are you a ghost?" Lilith asked.

"No. I am nothing but the humble spirit of a powerful being." Mara answered. "I have been trapped down in this infernal prison for nearly three thousand years! And yes, child, I counted."

The words replayed in Lilith's head. None of this didn't make sense. Mara was speaking as if Lilith was accustomed with the supernatural. Although Lilith had her fair share of supernatural, such as powered beings, she still had no idea what Mara was talking about.

"What do you mean?" Lilith asked.

"Was I not clear?" Mara asked, annoyed with Lilith's ignorance. "I have been trapped in this prison for three thousand years."

"What is this prison?" Lilith asked.

"Step closer to the water." Mara ordered.

Cautiously, Lilith took steps to the water, doing her best to make sure she wasn't put in a trap. Lilith stood over the water, her toes touching the edge, and looked down at it. Appearing in the water was the silhouette of a woman, taking the place of Lilith's reflection. Lilith took a step back, scared of the silhouette.

"Why are you here?" Lilith asked.

"You do not need to know." Mara said. "All you need to know is that I want to escape this place."

"Well, why haven't you done it already?" Lilith asked,

Mara refrained from telling Lilith the truth. The truth was that Mara did have the ability to escape whenever she wished. But, her spirit could not go very far as it would be too weak. It could not sustain itself for more than a few seconds. What Mara needed was a body to sustain herself in. She needed a host, and not a single being has shown up in three thousand years. It did, however, take a few centuries to master the dark escape magic while in the prison.

Mara knew that if Lilith knew her true intentions, there would be no way Lilith would allow her to take her body. So, Mara thought of a way.

"What is it you want most in the world, girl?" Mara asked. "Surely something humble."

Lilith chuckled. "Well, not really. I want revenge. I want the power to get my revenge." She had dreamt of nothing more for the past few months. Every night was a different dream on how she was going to kill Elsa and the others. She especially enjoyed the ones which involved torture and other devious methods on getting revenge. It was all Lilith wanted. Once that was achieved, she could die happy. Being happy is why Lilith was who she was. What she does makes her happy.

"You make it sound like these people are like armies." Mara said.

"In a way, yes, they are." Lilith said. "They actually have powers. Fire and ice to be exact."

If Mara had eyes to widen, she would've widened them. Was it possible that the powered people she once called brothers and sister were still alive. No, it was impossible. They may be powerful, but they still have the lifespan of a normal human. But, Mara still had no idea how this was possible. Were they reincarnated? Were they immortal? Mara had no idea, but, she was certain of one thing. If she were to get revenge on anyone, it would be these people as they were the closest thing Mara had to the people that betrayed her three thousand years ago.

Mara hated the ice being the most. Three thousand years ago, she was the one who used the sword against Mara. She was the one who had the purest heart. The sword of light, Ludicium, can only be wielded by those with a pure heart. Mara knew this, and her icy friend was the one to use it against her. She had a score to settle. If there was anyone in the world Who Mara wanted to suffer the most, it would be the ice one.

Still, Mara kept her silence. She hoped that Lilith didn't know her story, and Lilith had no indication of the name Mara mean anything to her. So, Mara assumed Lilith was ignorant of the entire eternal darkness fiasco.

"I can grant you what you seek." Mara said, half truthfully. Mara wanted nothing more than to put the world in an eternal shadow once again, but, in order to do that, she needed the power of the combined blood of the elementals. She knew of two, but she didn't know of the third one; the electric one. Mara was sure one existed, though. She just needed to find him.

"How?" Lilith asked.

"All you need to do is put your hand in the water." Mara said. "Then, you will be granted unimaginable power."

"How can I trust you?" Lilith asked.

"If you truly wish to have revenge," Mara said, "then you have no choice."

Without thinking, Lilith stuck her hand in the water below. After a few seconds of waiting, Lilith felt and saw nothing. Be living Mara had lied to her, she tried to take her hand out of the water. But, when she felt that she couldn't, only then did she realize her mistake. Lilith tried her best to yank her hand out of the water, but it was all to no avail.

"No!" Lilith said.

Mara's maniac laughter echoed throughout the cavern. Lilith was doing her best to try to get out of the situation she was in. By putting her hand in the water, Lilith allowed Mara to latch onto her and choose a host. After a few more seconds of yanking, Lilith finally pulled her hand out of the water. Lilith jumped up immediately, panting and looking down at the water.

A long, black mist came out of the water and floated right in front of Lilith. Lilith raised an eyebrow, unsure of what is was. She didn't notice that it was slowly getting closer to her. But, before Lilith could do anything, it was too late. The black mist rushed into her mouth which was forced wide open. Lilith tried to scream but the black mist wouldn't allow her to. All she could do was choke. Lilith was not necessarily in pain, but she was in no way healthy. She could feel her own life slipping away as the black mist consumed the inside of her body. She had made a horrible mistake. Mara wasn't giving her power. Mara was taking her body.

Lilith could not see, but the color of her eyes were turning green. Her red hair turned black and it straightened itself out. From her feet, black mist worked it's way up. After the black mist stopped moving up, Lilith's body found itself in a black cloak. Her rags were gone; replaced by the clothes a dark sorcerer would wear.

After the choking had stopped, the possession was over. Lilith's body was still there, but Mara made sure her soul was gone. Mara's spirit had found it's new host. It may have been Lilith's body, but it was Mara's now.

Mara cracked her neck. "Not bad." Mara said with Lilith's voice. Mara was not able to use her own voice when talking, but it didn't matter. She, at least, had a body, and she hoped that she could still use her dark powers. But, Mara never had full control of her powers. Unlike her old friends, she never learned how to harness them properly. She used her staff to harness them, and luckily for Mara, the staff was in the room.

Not only did Mara possess Lilith's body, but she had her memories as well. Everything Lilith knew and remembered, Mara knew as well. Mara knew who two of her targets were; Kai and Elsa. Lilith did not know anything about a lightning user, so it was up to Mara to find whoever that was.

Mara turned her head and looked at the staff. "Hello old friend." Mara said, smiling. She walked over to the staff, around the water. She felt a slight struggle as she walked since she hadn't walked in three thousand years and that she wasn't completely used to her new body. But, she knew that she would adapt in no time. Mara grabbed her staff with one hand and removed it from it's position on the ground. When Mara touched it, a small, misty ball of purple dark energy appeared at the top of it. It wasn't completely useless after all.

Mara knew what she had on her to-do list. She needed to get revenge on her old powered enemies, and since they were most likely dead, the closest thing she could do to that is to get make the current powered beings suffer. Especially the ice being. Mara hated her the most. Also, Mara needed the blood of the beings to create another eternal darkness. So, she couldn't have them dead... not yet anyway. First, she needed to locate them. Then, after learning a bit about them, she would make a plan that would ensure as much personal suffering as possible. That was the hard part.

"I'm going to turn off the light, and I'll remake the world in my image. A world shrouded in darkness. A world without light. A world without rules. A world without hope. A world without heroes. Darkness shall rise."

**To be continued in the next chapter**

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><p>Author's Note: Hope you guys liked the chapter. Please review! Don't just answer the QOTD. I still want to know what you guys thought about the chapter(s).<p>

Last chapters QOTD: Is Kai a hero or an anti-hero.

Congratulations to MoonlitShadowsoftheHumanSoul for having the best answer to last chapter's QOTD.

Answer:

Kai is a hero. Sure, he grew up doing less than moral things. But he also could've sat back and let the plot against Elsa happen, though he didn't. His whole life up until that point had taught him think only of yourself. But he chose not to, instead listening to the morals of his heart. He defied everything he knew, risked his well-being, for a woman he didn't know.

And his subsequent actions only show his heroicness further.

It takes a lot of strength to defy what your brain says and listen to your conscience, but he did so and now he has changed.

He is a hero.

To be honest, it was really hard to choose. Everyone had such amazing answers, but one did win. Thank you all go participating. I decided that each week's winner will get this prize through a PM: an idea of what the next chapter will be about. So, if you want to know what the next chapter will be about, answer the QOTD! Answers don't need to be long; just good. So, Moonlit will know what this chapter is about before it is posted. Winner of this week's QOTD will know what chapter three will be about! Ciao.

**QOTD: Do you think Kai is the one Elsa deserves? He has been absent in their relationship many times and the two have very different personalities, but, they trust and care for each other deeply. What do you think?**


	3. An Undercover Job

Last chapter's QOTD: Is Kai the guy Elsa deserves?

Best answer is from AllAmericanSlurp:

Elsa has grown up as a queen. Regal and reserved. When Kai came into her life, he was the one who opened her eyes. He showed her the fun of life, and how life doesn't always need to be stiff. The old saying: opposites attract. He balances Elsa by being carefree and defying death, and Elsa balances him by having him be at least a LITTLE cautious with his dare-devil actions.  
>Kai and Elsa are the two people that they need each other most.<p>

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><p><strong>An Undercover Job<strong>

* * *

><p>The plan was simple.<p>

Kristoff walked slowly through the dimly lit corridor, littered with goons and thugs that acted like guards. Anna, who was wearing a blonde wig, walked alongside him, grabbing his arm. The two looked around and saw that everyone was giving them a dirty look. Obviously, they weren't happy with their presence. Kristoff couldn't lie; he wasn't happy being there as well. Where they were wasn't a place that they belonged. Luckily, they were there to help shut this entire operation down. When this was all over, Kai could stop working all night and day and he could finally get some rest. He was chasing hundreds of leads, and he finally found where he needed to go. They were at an auction. A human auction.

After they learned of it's location earlier, it would've been easy to just send a small army in and shut it down for good. Unfortunately, they still needed to know where the "goods" we're being transferred right after they were sold. During these auctions, people, mostly women, were to be shown around and if one buyer found her desirable, he would bid for her, and if he won, he would receive a ticket which he would take to another location where they would keep most of the women and pay there.

Many people were involved in this trafficking ring. Anyone could just walk in with someone they hoped to sell. That's what Kristoff was posing as. He was pretending to be one of these random sellers and he brought a girl he was sure men would buy. As Kristoff walked, he was holding a chain in his right hand. At the other end of the long chain behind him was a girl wearing a torn dress with a sack over her head. Her hands were covered completely in metal connected to the chain. Her ankles were tied together by chains as well.

Kai had explained the entire plan to them earlier. He had asserted it many times, making sure everyone knew what to do. Kristoff would sell the girl he had chained up and hopefully be able to buy another person. The girl, Anna, and Kristoff would travel to wherever the next location is to complete the exchange. That's where they be the heroes. They would free the captive people while they were there, and Kai promised he would take out the ring leaders where they were currently. If things went according to plan, which was doubtful, then everyone will live happily ever after.

The disguised Anna was there only for support. Hopefully, no one there would recognize Anna was undercover. Kristoff, however, would pretend that he betrayed his friends and kidnapped the girl he was to sell. No Arendelle guards were involved in this plan as that would just complicate many things.

As they walked through the long corridor, Anna's hands were shaking and Kristoff could feel it in his arm. Anna was scared. Actually, she was more unsure than scared. They always had the worst of luck, and if they were to follow that bad luck pattern, things weren't going to end well at all. Fingers crossed. Kai promised that he would be close to them and he would be there for them if anything went wrong. They trusted Kai to help them.

"Are you sure this is going to work?" Anna whispered to Kristoff.

"No." Kristoff whispered back, truthfully. "But, we need to stick to the plan."

"When does sticking to the plan ever work?" Anna asked.

"What's that saying?" Kristoff said. "There's a first time for everything."

"Maybe..." Anna said. "But maybe not now."

"Relax and act natural." Kristoff assured.

"So, do you want me to relax or act natural?" Anna asked, implying that her natural self was not at all relaxed.

"Funny." Kristoff said, sarcastically.

"You know, if we get caught, we're dead." Anna said, making sure no one but Kristoff heard her.

There were many goons in the corridor who was looking her way, but there was no way they would have heard her. She couldn't afford to be careless. If they messed up, Kai would probably never let them in on a mission ever again. Usually, Kai kept his work and personal life separate, but, when Kai made a breakthrough in the trafficking case, Elsa, Anna, and Kristoff came to him asking if they could assist in any way. At first, Kai was reluctant to let them help, but after hours of convincing, he finally accepted their help.

"Everything is going to be fine." Kristoff said. "If you don't freak out, everything will be fine." Kristoff had to be the one to keep his cool. Obviously, Anna was unsettled with this entire plan. She, ironically, wasn't being very optimistic about all of this. Kristoff, on the other hand, was.

Anna scratched her wig. "This thing is itchy." Anna said.

"I bet." Kristoff said. "Just deal with it. We'll be home and with Lena before you know it."

"We can only hope." Anna said. "I hope she's behaving."

"Lena's a good girl." Kristoff said. "Of course she is."

"Well, then I hope Olaf knows how to take care of her." Anna said.

Kristoff's eyes widened. Only now did he realize that it was a horrible mistake leaving Lena in the incapable hands of Olaf. Olaf had the mind of a child, and most children had no idea how to take care of babies. All children want to do around babies is entertain them. That's probably what Olaf was doing. And, Olaf would do some pretty stupid things to entertain people.

"Let's just get this over with." Kristoff said, wanting to get home as soon as possible.

Kristoff, Anna, and the chained girl entered a large, round room. The room was about one hundred meters in diameter. The walls were covered in torches so it was very brightly lit. A large, round table was set exactly in the middle of the room. Hostile guards lined the walls, swords at their sides. They were told to be prepared for anything, because if they weren't, they weren't getting paid or worse. None of them were willing to lose this job, so they made an effort to be vigilant.

At one point at the edge of the circular table, a small staircase was set up next to it. The stairs were between the table and the line of chained women. They all wore the same thing; rags. Only their buyers would provide them with new clothes, whatever they may be. The stairs were there for the girls to walk up onto the table and advertise themselves to the buyers. Most people would've been reluctant to walk up onto the table, but these girls were kidnapped and taught the worst kind of obedience. Death was a better deal than what they went through.

Sitting around the table were men. There were about fifteen men in all, spread out around the table. There was about double that amount of guards in the room. More guards were in the corridor that led to the room. The men all dressed differently, but they were there for the same reason. One man, in particular, sat on a table that was much more grand than the others. Anna and Kristoff both assumed he was in charge of the entire thing.

One girl was already on the table. Tears ran down her cheek, but she was forced to smile... or else. Anna looked over her and frowned. She had no idea how bad these girls had it. It was times like these that Anna was grateful that she was a princess who lived safely in a castle. But, it was also times like this that Anna wished that there were more people like her.

Before the couple could take another step closer to the table, the head man held his hand out when he noticed them. He was an older man with a mixture of brown and white hair on his head and chin.

"Stop right there!" The man said. Kristoff and Anna did as he asked. The chained girl behind them could hear the command, and she too stopped.

There was another man who stood next to the head man's chair. He looked like he was the head man's top guard although he was shorter and less stocky than Kristoff. He looked like he was wearing layers of clothes. In the outside, he wore grey. He had grey both on his upper and lower body. But, he had a dark, navy blue hood that was covering his eyes. That was obviously apart of another set of clothes he had under his grey ones. He also wore a grey, fabric face ask that covered his mouth and nose. Almost his entire face was covered. A sword was strapped to his waist. The sword was more fancy than the other weapons the guards carried in the room. It looked like it belonged to royalty.

The head man looked up at the top guard and whispered "Search them." The head guard nodded and walked around the table to get to Kristoff and Anna.

He stood in front of the couple. "Arms spread." The guard ordered. Kristoff let go of the chain he had in his hand and he took a few steps away from Anna. The two then stretched their arms in a wingspan. The guard focused on Anna and started to pat her down, searching her. He could find nothing of consequence. He then looked over at Kristoff and got closer to him.

The guard then proceeded to pat Kristoff down as well. He then started to pat down Kristoff's thigh and groin area.

"Having fun there, pal?" Kristoff asked, jokingly.

The guard immediately took his hands off of Kristoff and stood up, out of his crouching position. He then punched Kristoff in the gut as hard as he could. Kristoff bent forward and groaned in pain, wheezing as well. Anna put her hands over her her mouth after gasping.

"Please, Hunter, be gentle!" Ordered the head man.

"Respect me." Hunter, the guard, said. He then turned around and looked back at his boss who was at the opposite end of the table from where he was. "They're clean!" Hunter said.

Kristoff got himself together and straightened himself out. He was a bit sore from the punch but it wasn't anything he couldn't handle. Anna grabbed his arm, telling him that it was okay as long as she was there. Kristoff and Anna then walked to the table and found two empty chairs in front of them. They both took their seats, sitting at the opposite end of where the head man was sitting.

"Who are you?" The head man asked Kristoff.

"My name is Kristoff Bjorgman." Kristoff answered.

"That's the name of Arendelle's official ice master and deliverer." One buyer pointed out.

"Indeed." The head man said. "You're far away from your castle, boy. Are you not married to the princess?"

Anna looked down at the table, hoping that no one would recognize her. If any did, the entire plan would've failed quickly.

"I was." Kristoff said. "But, that life just wasn't for me. I stole what I could and ran, hoping to find a more exciting life. Now, I find myself here."

"Then who's the broad?" One buyer asked. "Are you selling her?"

"This is a wench I picked up at a nearby brothel." Kristoff lied. "No, she's not for sale."

"This meeting is not one where you should bring a date, Mister Bjorgman." The head man says.

"My deepest apologies." Kristoff said. "But, it is rude to ask for my name without me knowing yours." He said to the head man.

"I only share my name on account of business." The head man said. "Are you here for business."

"I'm here for pleasure!" Kristoff said. "It's funny how sometimes the two cross."

The head man smiled. "My name is Gerald."

Kristoff was getting far in this conversation. So far, no one seemed to distrust him. No one showed any form of hostility except for the head guard, Hunter. Things were going great for both Kristoff and Anna. But, the bulk of the plan was yet to be done. They still had a long way to go before they finished their mission. Hopefully, the rest of the mission will be just as smooth as the few minutes.

"Well, Gerald," Kristoff said, "I did not come in here empty handed." Kristoff looked over at the girl he had and pulled her chain, telling her to walk forward. He then stood up and awaited her arrival. When she got in front of Kristoff, Kristoff grabbed her waist and lifted her up onto the table. There, she continued to walk until she was in the middle. That was where Kristoff ordered her to stop walking.

Kristoff, himself, jumped onto the table and stood next to the girl. "I present to you..." Kristoff said. He then grabbed the sack on the girls head and pulled it off. There, everyone saw who the girl truly was; Elsa. Her hair was in one braid that fell down onto her chest. Her mouth was gagged. An angry look was in her eyes.

The entire room gasped in surprise. Most wondered how Kristoff even got a hold of Elsa while some wondered how much they were willing to pay for her.

"Queen Elsa of Arendelle!" Kristoff presented.

"How?" Gerald said in astonishment. "How did you get a hold of her?"

"It wasn't hard." Kristoff lied. "I broke into her room while she was sleeping and chained her up. Also, she's not that heavy to carry."

Kristoff removed her gag and ran back to the edge of the table, hopped off, and took his seat next to a disguised Anna.

Of course, Elsa was also informed of the plan. She was to be the bait in it. She just hoped that it would work. Standing there sickened her. She knew she had to put a stop to everything happening in the room. It was foul and was not something she was willing to put up with in her kingdom. She also had to pretend she was angry at Kristoff.

She looked over at Kristoff. "Traitor!" Elsa exclaimed. "I trusted you! I gave you a home! I gave you a job! This is how you repay me?"

"You're still bringing up these points again?" Kristoff asked. "What was that saying? Oh yes! Let it go."

"Enough!" Elsa said. "I am a Queen!"

"Indeed you are." Gerald said, smirking. He was thinking about all the fun he could have with Elsa under his control. Not only him, but almost every buyer wanted Elsa with them. Sure, her powers would've been a complication, but they were sure that they would find a way.

Speaking of powers, Elsa easily could've escaped this situation. She could easily use her feet to freeze the entire room, but, she decided to just stick to the plan. They still needed to find out where they were keeping a majority of the prisoners, and they intended to find out.

"Now." Gerald said. "We have much to discuss."

"I won't be dealt under the likes of you." Elsa said to Gerald, her eyes with a fire in them.

"Bold words from our prisoner." Gerald said. He then looked past Elsa, over at Kristoff. Knowing that Kristoff was the one calling the shots over Elsa, Gerald decided it wasn't his place to decide how much Elsa was worth. But, since she was a Queen, and a beautiful queen at that, he knew that Elsa was worth a lot.

Kristoff, knowing that things would be much easier if Elsa kept quite, once again hopped onto the table. He walked over to her with her gag and tied it around her mouth. She gave Kristoff a look that said "Are you serious?" Elsa just shrugged it off, knowing that KaI would probably approve of Kristoff's choice.

"So?" Gerald asked. "How much is she worth?"

Elsa turned over to Kristoff and raised an eyebrow. This was where Elsa would learn how much she is worth in Kristoff's eyes. If Kristoff gave her a low price, Elsa would be offended, but if he gave her a high price, that would just be weird. The two were, in fact, siblings in law.

"Uh..." Kristoff said, pressure on him. "One thousand at the least."

The look on Elsa's face told Kristoff that that was an acceptable number.

That's when the bidding war began. Buyer after buyer, they kept shouting out prices, going up each time. Elsa should've been flattered. People wanted to buy her that much. But, how could she be flattered if the buyers were such creeps? It would have been very strange if she was flattered. Even Anna would've found it weird.

The shouting turned into screaming. Elsa's ears rang with four digit numbers repeating themselves in her mind. She was getting sick and tired with this bidding war. Gerald, Kristoff, and Anna were as well. All of them just stayed silent, letting the others do the talking. Hunter just stood there, arms crossed, looking down as if he was embarrassed that these were the people he was working for. He easily could've controlled the crowd, but he decided that it would be more entertaining for him if he just let everything that was happening happen.

Then, from a door that led to another corridor, in came a random guard. He slammed the door open with a force as if he was in a hurry. He jogged over to Gerald and stood next to him, panting out of exhaustion. Hunter, uneasily, wondered what the guard was doing here.

The guard's lips were moving, but Gerald could not hear anything coming from his mouth. The voices of the arguing buyers were more dominant and prominent in Gerald's ears. Knowing that the information this guard carried was vital, otherwise he wouldn't have interrupted the meeting, Gerald knew that listening to the guard was a priority. It was perhaps more important than the buying of Elsa.

There was only so much he could do to shut everyone in the room up... Luckily it was in his power to do it.

"ENOUGH!" Gerald yelled. Immediately, the room went silent. All eyes focused on Gerald with no distractions. He obviously has asserted his authority over the others. No one was going to question him. Gerald was a very wealthy man. He started this trafficking organization and he profited so much from it. The respect he earned on his rise to wealth was also very large. If Gerald wanted something done, it would get done. No one has ever dared to step up against him... No one except Kai and his friends at least.

Kai had been chasing Gerald's tail for about an entire year. Kai remembered this because he started the case the same day Lena was born which was approximately a year ago.

"Thank you." Gerald said. He then turned his head up to look at his goon. "Now, what was it that you needed to tell me?"

"We found one of our men knocked out and tied up!" The goon said. "He wore nothing but his undergarments. Someone had taken his clothes."

"Do you know exactly who it was?" Hunter asked.

The goon shook his head. "He was unconscious and we weren't able to get him up."

Gerald then looked over at Elsa. He looked down at her bare feet and noticed something wasn't right. Only then did he realize Elsa easily could've used her powers from her feet, but she didn't for a reason unknown to Gerald. He wondered if she was purposely holding back. The question was; why? Gerald knew that there was no way Elsa would willingly give herself up easily to be sold. Something didn't add up, that was for sure.

He then looked over at Kristoff and his "date". Gerald had seen the face of the princess of Arendelle once, but he knew it well enough to compare it with the face of Kristoff's date. The similarities were uncanny. Why would a princess be in a place like this? Then, he thought about how one of his men was someone undercover. All of these things could not be a coincidence. The meeting was compromised.

Kristoff noticed that Gerald was giving him an odd look. "So..." Kristoff said. "Where can I drop Elsa off for pickup?"

"Oh, I don't think so." Gerald said. "You thought you could deceive me?"

Kristoff's heart sped up and his breathing got heavier. Anna's hands were trembling. Elsa's eyes were widened. They were on the verge of the mission being a failure, and it wasn't going to end very well.

"I..." Kristoff cleared his throat. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"You don't?" Gerald asked. He then looked over at the wigged Anna. "What about you, Princess Anna?"

Anna felt her wig being pulled off from behind her. She turned around to find that a guard had taken it off of her head. He threw it on the ground and walked back to his position. It looked like the cat was out of the bag. Their cover was blown.

Before Elsa could do anything to help her family, a guard ran up to the edge of the table in between two buyers and pulled out a flintlock pistol and aimed it at her. Almost none of the other guards carried a gun with them, so this guard was lucky that he brought one with him. Elsa was at risk of being shot, so there was nothing she could do at the moment.

Gerald, himself, pulled out a flintlock of his own from under the table. He pointed it at Kristoff and Anna who he saw past Elsa.

"There is a version of this where no one dies." Gerald said. "Tell me who the rat among my men is and you won't get hurt... much."

"We don't know." Kristoff said.

"You have three seconds." Gerald said, putting his finger on the trigger. "Three."

"We're telling the truth." Elsa said. "Please, just don't hurt them."

"Two."

"He didn't tell us anything about going undercover." Anna said.

"One."

Before Gerald could pull the trigger, the end of a sword tapped the pistol's barrel. Gerald looked up to see who was interrupting his interrogation. Standing where Hunter used to be standing was a man wearing a dark, navy blue tailcoat with a hood that was resting on his back. He wore dark blue pants that matched his tailcoat. The grey clothes that he was wearing were now on the floor. He had black hair and warm, reddish orangish eyes. Who Gerald thought to be Hunter was the undercover one.

His name wasn't Hunter, though.

"I'm afraid I can't let you do that," Kai said, "if you know what's good for you."

**To be continued in the next chapter...**

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><p>Author's Note: Please reviewcomment! Chapters will be up every two to four days since I'm so busy with school. School is my priority guys, I hope you understand. Also, if you have a suggestion for the QOTD, shoot me a PM! It can be anything, ranging from what's your favorite (blank) to do you think (blank). Also, I just wanted to let you know that Kai's new outfit is loosely based off of Arno Dorian's outfit from Assassin's Creed: Unity.

**QOTD: Is it more important for Kai to spend time with his friends or be the Captain of the Guard to protect his friends?**


	4. Improvising

Last chapter's QOTD: Should Kai spend more time with his friends or spend more time protecting his friends.

Best answer is from SnowQueenElsaOfArendelle101: I say both. While he needs to spend time with the closest people in his lives and do his job, there's a balance in there. And I think they're basically the same. If you truly care about someone, you'll wanna protect them at all costs. I believe there's an old saying that applies to this question: Blood is thicker than water

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><p><strong>Improvising<strong>

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><p>Kai's sword was on Gerald's pistol, signaling to Gerald that Kai didn't want the gun to go off. Of course, Gerald easily still could've used it on Kristoff and Anna even if Kai was threatening him. Gerald didn't know if Kai was bluffing or not. He, unfortunately, didn't know Kai very well. He didn't know if Kai was willing to kill him. He had heard of Kai before; Elsa's great Captain of the Guard. He knew that Kai had the conviction to clean Arendelle of people like Gerald. But, Gerald has never heard of Kai ever taking a life. That was the only reason Gerald believed Kai might be bluffing. But, there's a first time for everything.<p>

Gerald was a fool. He should've known that Kai was disguised as his best man. The real Hunter, who was tied up and unconscious during this entire predicament, would usually not cover his facial features. Gerald should've found something odd about this, but it was already too late. Kai had the upper hand now. The question was for how long. Kai was still outnumbered greatly by Gerald's men, but it wasn't something he couldn't handle. To Kai, they could be considered practice.

Kai's dagger, his lucky dagger with a golden handle, was strapped to his waist. He quickly grabbed it with his right hand and pointed it at the sitting Gerald's neck. His sword, which was held in his left hand, the hand where Kai was missing his ring finger,was still on top of Gerald's sword. Kai lightly pressed the flat side of the blade on Gerald's throat, telling him that he meant business.

"Drop your weapon." Kai ordered Gerald. Gerald, who was hesitant and reluctant, did as Kai asked and slowly placed it onto the table. Kai used his sword to smack it away from Gerald. It slid on the table until it stopped right next to Elsa's feet. She was still standing in the middle of the table, scared that if she moved, she would get shot by the guard pointing a flintlock at her.

"You too." Kai said to the guard threatening Elsa.

The guard did not look like he was ready to give into Kai's demands. He just tightened his grip on his pistol and looked over at Gerald. Kai knew that if the guard wasn't going to listen to him, then he would listen to Gerald. Luckily for Kai, Gerald was in his palm. Kai turned his dagger so that the sharp side was touching Gerald's neck. Gerald's breathing got heavier and his heart pumped faster. He was scared.

"Do as he says." Gerald ordered the guard.

The guard sighed in disappointment. He gently placed his pistol on the table and slide it towards Elsa who had to step on it in order to make it stop. She then looked over at Kai to see what the next step in his new improvised plan was. Kai unsheathed his sword and strapped it to his waist. His sword was Elsa and Anna's father's sword which was given to Kai by Elsa.

Kai then grabbed Gerald's chair and pulled it back. He then grabbed the collar of Gerald's clothes and pulled him up. Kai then put his arm around Gerald's chest and used his other arm to hold the blade on Gerald's throat. Kai gripped Gerald as best as he could, making sure that Gerald could no get out of his hold. Unfortunately for Kai, he left his back exposed. Kai knew this and he figured he should be prepared for anything as that could save his life.

Kai then looked over at Kristoff. "Kristoff!" Kai said. "You only had one job! You had only one thing to do! Find out the location of the prisoners and don't get caught. How could you mess up?"

"Technically, that's two things." Anna pointed out, defending Kristoff.

"Never mind that." Kai said. He then sighed in disappointment and took a step back, away from the table.

"Gentlemen!" Kai said. "I only want one thing, and I'm prepared to make you an offer for this. Keep the location of your prisoners a secret, in which case all of you will get hurt, or, tell me where you're keeping them, in which case only most of you will get hurt."

Some of the stupid goons in the room scratched their heads, not fully understanding how they benefit from this. None of the buyers told Kai anything, nor did the guards. They all kept their hostile stares and kept their lips sealed. Apparently, threatening Gerald was not enough motivation for them to talk. Kai doubted that even torturing Gerald would help his case. Only Gerald's most loyal men cared, the very few he had. Even they weren't sure whether or not they should talk. Did Gerald want them to talk?

"Son of a bitch." Kai whispered to himself, annoyed by everyone's uncooperative demeanor. "Alright..." Kai said. "New deal. I-"

"Kai look out!" Elsa yelled.

Kai could hear the footsteps coming quickly behind him. Someone was attempting to attack Kai from behind. Luckily, Kai had great reflexes. He knew just how to react as quickly as he could blink. Also, he dealt with goons like these. Almost none of them had proper training and had no fighting style and skill. They all just attacked blindly with their weapons. That was why Kai could always beat them in fights. He knew many crucial elements that they didn't. Because of that, Kai always had a significant advantage when fighting.

Kai kicked Gerald forward. Gerald tripped and his forehead hit the edge of the table, making his vision and hearing blurry. Kai spun around and saw that a sword was coming down upon him. He quickly swiped his dagger upward, in between the sword and his head. Kai blocked the guard's attack on him. The guard genuinely thought that he had the element of surprise on his side. He didn't know Kai. Kai kicked the guard's knee, forcing him to fall on the ground.

He then kicked the guard's rib cage, making sure that he broke something. Kai was positive that he wasn't getting up anytime soon. Then, Kai noticed two guards running at them, swords raised. Luckily, they weren't attacking in sync as one of the guards was a few feet in front of the other. Kai quickly unsheathed his sword. When the first guard swung his sword down on Kai, Kai hit the guard's sword and brought it down away from him. As the guard was parried, Kai engulfed his fist in flames and punched the man's chest, knocking him back onto the ground.

Kai then looked at the other guard approaching him. Kai knew that this guard, as dumb as they usually were, would not make the same mistake as his unconscious ally did. That's why Kai quickly came up with a different strategy to take him out. When he was close enough, Kai spun around and swiped his sword at the feet of the guard, forcing him to fall back. While the guard was in midair, falling back, Kai, who was holding his dagger backhand, punched the man's face, accelerating the process in which he went down.

Kai had just taken out two guys in a matter of seconds. He turned around to focus on the people that made of most of the room's occupancy. If people were willing to fight back, he knew that they weren't giving him any information anytime soon. They weren't going down without a fight. Kai knew this although he didn't make much of a big deal about it. All it was a little complication which some violence easily could've solved.

Also, Kai wanted to see Elsa use her new skills. In the past year, Kai taught Elsa everything he knew about fighting so that she could protect herself. They've had plenty of spars prior. Her combat skills almost matched Kai's. If anyone was to take down Kai, it would be Elsa. They just hoped that the day would never come when Kai needed to be taken down.

"Well, go on then." Kai said to his friends. "Fight."

Battle cry's came out of all of the guards as they drew their weapons; swords, axes, and clubs. The guards had no reason to keep any of their adversaries alive so they could fight with as much fury as they could muster. Plus, the guards had a higher number. There were only four people they needed to take down. The only problem was that two out of the four had superpowers. It was nothing a group of strong goons couldn't handle... Was it?

In the split second before the guards ran up to the table to attack, Elsa quickly froze the metal that was covering her hands. She then used all of her might to take her hands apart from each other, breaking and shattering the metal. Her hands were now free, and she was ready for anything. Elsa prepared to run off the table and test her skills, but she found herself unable to move her foot very far. She looked down and found that her ankles were still chained together. She quickly created an ice sword in her hand and swiped down, cutting the chain. She paid no attention to the metal still being on her ankles.

She realized that she was wearing nothing but rags. She was about to change that. Elsa raised her sword in the air, and starting from her feet, ice formed over her body. By the time she let her sword down, her body was covered in detailed armor made of ice. The ice on her forearm was much thicker than the ice on her biceps. The same goes with the ice on her calfs compared to the ice on her thighs. A clear skirt made of ice covered her armor on her thighs.

The guards and Elsa's friends stared at her in disbelief. She had a new look which they weren't complaining about. That armor was sure to take a few hits before shattering. She was ready to fight, and she didn't intend to go down. She left one hand free so she could use it to use her powers. Her other hand was for her sword. Kai taught her everything he knew about being careful not to kill anybody. She hoped that what he taught her would be useful.

Anna jumped onto the table to join her sister as the guards were approaching. The girls stood back to back, readying themselves to face their enemies.

"I don't know about you," Anna said, "but I think building a snowman would be more preferable than this."

"That makes two of us." Elsa said. "But, you know... This all could've been simpler if you just didn't get caught."

"I agree!" Yelled Kai who heard Elsa.

"You make it sound like going undercover is easy." Anna said to Elsa.

"It really is!" Kai yelled, once again, hearing Anna.

"Is not!" Anna said.

"Is too!" Kai said.

"Is not!" Anna said.

"Is too!" Kai said.

"Anna!" Elsa yelled, seeing one guard running at her and another guard running at Anna.

"Frying pan!" Anna yelled. She then held out her hand. Elsa then looked down at Anna's hand and pointed her finger at it. A frying pan made out of ice appeared in Anna's hand. A good friend of Anna's, Rapunzel, showed Anna the delicate art of the frying pan. It was now Anna's most referred weapon. It was incredibly underrated and people don't praise it as much as they should be.

The two guards swiped down at the sisters at the same time. Anna blocked one guard's attack by putting her frying pan in between the incoming sword and her head, therefor blocking the attack. Anna then kicked the guard in the crotch, forcing him to bend down and wheeze in pain. While his head was close, Anna kneed him in the head, forcing him to fall back, unconscious and missing a few teeth. Elsa, on the other hand, swiped her sword so that she deflected the incoming sword attack from the guard. She then punched him as hard as she could in the stomach with her free hand which was covered in an ice gauntlet.

"You know, this technically never would've happened if they didn't find Hunter's body." Anna said. "So, technically, this was Kai's fault for not being careful."

"Is not!" Kai said, hearing Anna's statement in the middle of his own predicament. He blocked a guard's attack and kicked him away. He then started shooting fireballs at incoming goons.

"Is too!" Anna said, smacking her frying pan across the face of a close guard,

"Is not!" Kai said. He then cut a guard's thigh with his sword and punched his throat, knocking him back.

"Is too!" Anna said. She then jabbed her frying pan at the stomach of the guard in front of her, forcing him to wheeze and bend forward. Luckily for her, Anna's frying pan was right below his chin. Anna jumped and swiped upward, knocking him back and potentially breaking his chin. The bodies of the defeated men piled on top of each other next to Anna.

"Enough!" Elsa said. "Both of you! Can't you see we're in a serious situation." Elsa then pointed her hand down in front of her. In a straight line on the table, thin ice formed above the wood, forcing the running guard's to slip an fall. They were knocked out as soon as their heads met the wood.

"Besides!" Elsa said. "If anyone is to blame, it's Kristoff! He could've done so much more to keep our cover. No offense, but I think it's your fault."

Kristoff heard what Elsa was saying. A man who was running at him with an axe swiped his axe down on Kristoff, who was standing right next to the table. Kristoff stepped to the side and the axe hit the table, getting stuck on the wood. Kristoff punched me the man in the face, knocking him back and knocking him out. Kristoff then out his hand on the handle of the axe and pulled it out of it's home in the table.

"Is not!" Kristoff yelled.

"Is too!" Elsa yelled. She then raised her arm in the air. The ice that was already on the table turned into spikes that shot up, out of the ground. Two guards got caught in it and they couldn't get out.

"Is not!" Kristoff yelled. He then used his axe to swipe at an incoming sword. The axe hooked onto the sword. Kristoff then pulled on his axe, making the man with the sword go closer to him. The man tripped and hit his head on the table.

"Is too!" Elsa said. She then shot blasts of ice at the feet of the incoming guards, making them immobile, and forcing them to fall flat on the table.

While the four fought, the girls who were being auctioned off ran together to a side of the room and cowered in fear. They trembled and shook, scared of what was going to become of them. They didn't fully understand that Kai and the others were the good guys and meant no harm to them. If they did fully understand it, they would've done the best in their power to help out.

"You're right, Elsa!" Anna said. "I blame Kristoff, as well. Sorry, sweetie, but you're going to have to sleep on the couch tonight!"

"Am not!" Kristoff said, furiously. He then kicked the crotch of an incoming guard. While the guard was stunned, Kristoff smacked his face with the butt of his axe. Kristoff then hopped onto the table, facing away from the table.

"Am too!" Anna yelled. She then threw her ice pan at an approaching guard like it was a boomerang. It hit him on his forehead, and he was forced back, falling onto an ally of his. The pan went flying back to Anna which she caught with ease. In her mind, she thanked Rapunzel for teaching her these tricks.

"Am not!" Kristoff said. A guard with a club ran up to the table and smacked his club down at Kristoff's feet. Kristoff was able to simply step back. When the club was in the table, Kristoff swung his axe down on it. The blade went through the wood and it hit the table, forcing the club to be stuck. Kristoff then jumped off the table, over the guard. Putting his hand on the back of the guard's head, Kristoff pushed the guard's head onto the side of the table, rendering him unconscious.

"Am too!" Anna said. She then ran forward, towards a guard. What the guard wasn't expecting, though, was that Anna dropped and slid on the table, knocking him off his feet and face first onto the hard table.

"You know," Kai said, "now's not the best time to be talking about things like this." He then swiped his sword at the torso of a guard, cutting him and making him fall on the ground in pain.

"Kai's right." Elsa said. "We should focus on the predicament in front of us. But, to be honest, this wasn't a very good plan to begin with."

"Is not!" Kai said. He then used his sword to slice the hand of a guard in front of him, forcing the guard to drop his weapon. Kai then stabbed the shoulder of the guard with his dagger. The guard howled in pain as Kai used his foot to kick him off of his dagger.

"Is too!" Elsa said. She then shot a blast of ice at an incoming guard's sword. He was going to fast to notice the change in his weapon. Elsa just stood there with her sword down and waited for him to attack. He swung the sword at Elsa's armored arm, and instead of maiming Elsa, the sword shattered. Elsa then punched him in the face with her armored hand.

"Is not!" Kai said. He then shot fire at the feet of one guard. The guard started to hop on the ground, screaming "Hot!" as he hopped away from Kai.

"Is too!" Elsa said. She then shot a single blast of ice from her hand. A running guard was then trapped in a block of ice that slid around the table, hitting other guards and knocking them out, until he ultimately fell off the table where the ice shattered, freeing him. He would've been more productive if he wasn't knocked out.

"Never mind that!" Kai said. "You know, Elsa, you could have easily froze everyone in the room when they weren't prepared for it then we could've interrogated them! That would make things for us so much simpler."

"Could not!" Elsa said. She then turned her head to the left to see if any guards were approaching her from there. She was, unfortunately, too late to see that a guard had already managed to raise his sword to hit Elsa. Before he could hit Elsa, however, a quick, figure who's arms were engulfed in fire hit the guard, knocking him back. Elsa looked at Kai who had just saved her.

"Could too." Kai said with a smug smile.

"This makes us even." Elsa said.

"How?" Kai asked.

Elsa then shot a blast of ice past Kai's head. He turned around to find that the blast of ice froze the head of a guard who was just about to stab Kai. The guard fell back and onto the table, the ice shattering when it made contact. His face was kept in it's frozen expression.

"Oh." Kai said.

Then, Kristoff joined his friends by jumping onto the table and running into the middle to meet them. The four of them stood back to back, each taking a different quadrant of the table. Kai stood next to Elsa, who stood next to Kristoff, who stood next to Anna, who stood next to Kai. The remaining guards spread around the table, not daring to step foot into battle yet.

Kai sheathed his dagger and spun his sword. He then engulfed his hand in flames. Elsa spun her sword as well and made snow dance around her other hand. Kristoff swung his axe in front of him a few times. Anna spun her frying pan but stopped immediately when it smacked her cheek.

"Ready?" Kai asked his friends.

"As I'll ever be." Elsa said.

"Let's do this." Kristoff said.

"Can I go pee first?" Anna asked.

Then, the guards all let out another battle cry, raised their weapons on the air, jumped onto the table, and ran at the four. One by one, the guards fell in battle. Blades were met, swords were clashed. The four heroes, however, were more lucky in battle since they were on the winning side. But, the guards kept coming in waves. Waves that did not seem to cease. It seemed as though it was an endless battle. The guards would not stop coming, and the heroes would not stop fighting. The bodies of the guards kept on falling on top of each other until it seemed that there was no visible wood on the table from an aerial view.

Kai, obviously, was taking most of the men out. No one seemed like a challenge to him. Then, in front of him, instead of an attacking guard, Kai saw something else. Kai saw Cade in front of him, raising a sword in the air. Time seemed to have slowed down for Kai as this couldn't have been possible. But, instead of just standing there, processing what was happening, Kai blocked the apparent Cade's attack and shot a fire ball at him. Only when he fell to the ground did Kai see that it was just a normal goon.

This was getting very weird for Kai. He knew that he had to end it all quick for his sake. It looked like the remaining guards were on the table, approaching the four, careful with where they stepped.

"Get down." Kai ordered his friends.

Without hesitation, Kristoff, Anna, and Elsa knelt on the table and bent down. Kai then spun around with his arms in a wingspan. Streams of fire came out of both of his fists. They were long enough to hit every remaining guard on the table, knocking them down and burning their clothes. When the screaming stopped, and when they could no longer feel the heat, Elsa, Anna, and Kristoff got up and observed the area around them. Not a single conscious guard was standing.

"Amateurs." Kai said.

"Wow." Anna said. "We're pros at this by now."

"Don't get too cocky." Kristoff said.

"He's right." Elsa said. She then turned to look at Kai. "In a minute, more guards will-"

The doors that Kristoff and Anna used to get into the room slammed open. More guards came rushing into the room with their weapons, ready to fight. But, most of them were wide eyed because of what they were looking at; their fallen allies. Some even dropped their weapons in fear. There would be no way the guards could take them down. Both sides knew it.

Kai smiled at the guards. "Anyone else?"

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><p>Author's Note: Hey guys. I just wanted to let you guys know that the updates for this story will be fairly light in the coming weeks. The Blood of Olympus just came out and I want to focus on reading it rather than writing. Sorry for the inconvenience.<p>

**QOTD: Rank your top five favorite Disney Princesses. **

I really can't make a top five list but my two personal favorites are Elsa and Mulan.

Ciao.


	5. Shocking Assistance

Author's Note: There really can't be a winner for last chapter's QOTD.

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><p><strong>Shocking Assistance<strong>

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><p>Kai, Elsa, Anna, and Kristoff all stood outside of the large building in the middle of a forest clearing. The trees around the clearing were decorated with red, orange, and yellow leaves, indicating that fall has arrived and summer was over. Although the trees were only surrounding the clearing, the leaves were able to fall off and find their way inside of the clearing and onto the ground. Every step the friends took meant stepping on and breaking a few leaves. The sound would get annoying to the friends, but it was the least of their worries.<p>

A few dozen of Arendelle's guards stood outside with the group. Kai had ordered them to come to the building in a specific time. The building, of course, was the one where they interrupted the trafficking meeting and took out most of the men inside. Those who entered late had the option of either surrendering or fight until they fell. Those who chose to fight fell very easily and very quickly. The rest, who saw the example of what would happen if they attacked, surrendered.

The buyers were among those who were knocked out. Kai made sure that the men were all unconscious for a few hours before going outside. That way, he would give his guards enough time to deal with them and incapacitate them.

Kai stood in front of one of his guards, giving orders. The guard wore the standard green Arendelle guard uniform. Kai was wearing his dark blue, hooded, tailcoat rather than his old white, hoodless tailcoat. For the past few weeks, Kai had started to use his blue clothes as his normal attire. He realized that it fit in more and if he ever felt the need to sneak, they would do him more good than white clothes.

"How many handcuffs did you bring?" Kai asked the guard.

"Enough to arrest the old Roman Empire, sir." The guard answered.

Kai nodded. "Good." He then looked back over at the building. It's doors were closed and barricaded from the outside by a wall of ice, thanks to Elsa, to make sure that no one could escape from that way. Kai had done some reconnaissance work when he was undercover and found that that was the only entrance and exit.

"When you enter that door," Kai said, "you and your men will find yourselves in a corridor. At the end of the corridor, there'll be a door which leads to the main room. That's where you'll find the unconscious bodies. There are smaller rooms and corridors in the building, and I'm not sure if they're empty."

Kai was loitering around these rooms earlier, and he saw many guards in there. He wasn't certain if anyone from those rooms joined the battle.

"What do you advise we do, sir?" The guard asked.

It felt nice for Kai to have someone call him sir. Kai was only twenty five, and the guard he was talking to was much older than he was. Kai felt accomplished with himself. He shouldn't have felt that special, though. People called his friends similar things all the time even though Elsa was twenty four, Anna was twenty two, and Kristoff was also twenty five. Elsa was used to being three years older than Anna, but Elsa's birthday had not come yet.

Kai pulled himself back together, remembering the guard had asked a question. "Take a large group of able men and liberate the the building." Kai said. "Lethal force will not be tolerated."

The guard nodded. Kai then looked over at Elsa, who changed her armor into an ice dress. Kai nodded, signaling her to do her thing. She turned over to the door and raised her hand up. She then swung her hand down. The ice wall disappeared and transformed into snowflakes which drifted swiftly onto the ground.

The guards then ran over to the doors and slammed them open. They all then jogged into the building, ready to arrest some people.

Elsa, Anna, and Kristoff walked behind Kai. He then turned to notice them.

"Did we do good?" Anna asked, smiling hopefully.

"You did alright." Kai answered. "Things could've been done better, though."

Elsa put her hand on her waist. "You told us this already." She was sort of annoyed with Kai constantly bringing this up. All that mattered to her was that the job was finished and that they left without a scratch on them.

"Guys," Kai said, "or should I say girls and Kristoff? I need to wait for one of them to regain consciousness now. Only then can I interrogate them."

"I presume not all of them are willing to squeal." Kristoff said.

"Right you are, my friend." Kai said. "But, I'm very persuasive."

"Persuasive, huh?" Elsa asked, raising an eyebrow.

Kai ignored Elsa's doubt. He then looked above them and found that the sun was setting. An orange sky was covering the forest.

"It's getting late." Kai said. "I'll continue this tomorrow."

"But Kristoff's Reindeer Race is tomorrow morning." Anna said.

Kai remembered. Reindeer Racing was a new popular sport in Arendelle. It used to be called Horse Racing, but when Sven and Kristoff started playing, Elsa officially changed the name. It was ironic since Sven was the only reindeer that ever competed. But, Kai needed to finish this mission as soon as possible. He still needed to know where the "merchandise" was being kept.

"I'll be there." Kai said. "I promise."

"Can you keep that promise?" Kristoff asked. "I understand if you can't go."

"He'll be there." Elsa answered for Kai, glaring at him. She was determined to get Kai to be there with her and Anna. It's been a while since they shared any time together like that.

"And the day after that is the big day!" Anna said.

Elsa blushed while Kai's eyes widened.

"Already..." Kai said. He couldn't believe that it came so quick. It seemed only yesterday that he made it official. Now that it was so close, he wasn't sure if he was ready for it.

"Yep." Elsa said. "Our wedding day."

* * *

><p>Deren had to hide his time. He wasn't fully ready to face Kai. Ever since Deren got his powers, he was training. He promised himself that the next time he would cross paths with Kai would be the last. Deren's revenge will only be satisfied when he is holding Kai's severed head by the hair. Deren was sure that Kai was alive. Deren knew that Kai's death would be more spectacular than a sinking ship. Because of this hope, Deren believed Kai was still alive. If he was wrong, Deren would have no reason to live. When Kai and everything he loved and stood for was gone, only then would Deren allow himself to die,<p>

He counted the days that he had got his new electric powers. It was almost two years that he had his powers. Two years of hard training. Two years of biding time. Two years of hard work to survive. Actually, the work wasn't that hard. Deren stole what he needed as that was one of the skills he had learned in his younger days. Deren never dared to use his powers. He knew that that would bring himself a lot of attention. If anyone knew besides him, word would soon to get to Elsa or Kai. No doubt that they would look for him.

Deren knew that it was better to be thought dead than alive. In the city where he was residing in, no one knew his face. No one could tell anyone that Deren was still alive. That was good for Deren. That was great for Deren. A ghost was all he was to everyone he knew. He didn't allow himself the luxury of friends. He couldn't let anyone get close to him. It was better for everyone that he kept his distance.

None of that meant that Deren couldn't show up in public. It made no difference since no one knew him. But, the only occasions which he did show up in public were in a bar. There, he could hear all of the latest news and gossip from the regular drinkers. Deren had heard them talk to each other enough that he remembered most of their names. None of them knew his name, of course. That was the way he liked it. Mysterious and anonymous.

He would have blended in easily if it wasn't for the left side of his face being horribly scarred. He could thank Kai for being disfigured. It was exactly why he resented Kai so much. He used to call Kai a friend. Now, he called Kai an enemy.

Deren's swordsmanship has not deteriorated at all. He was just as deadly with a blade as he was with electricity. Every day, he would isolate himself in a forest clearing and practice his moves and abilities. Sometimes, he would raise his hand in the air and lightning would strike down on him from the sky. It never harmed him. Deren was also very skilled in channeling that energy. He made sure that the Lightning would never start a forest fire.

It always amused him whenever people talked about the random lightning strikes in the sky. Some said it was the wrath of God. Others said that it was of supernatural origin. If only they knew the truth. Deren would never interrupt these conversations. He would only listen to them, chuckling whenever he heard a bizarre theory. There plenty of bizarre theories. This was how Deren kept himself entertained. He had no friends to keep him company. He knew that it was a sad life to live, but luxury wasn't his highest priority in life.

Deren sat in his regular bar which he went to everyday. He pick pocketed people to get the money required to pay. He always sat in the same stool every night as he drank away. Deren would stay as long as he could; until the bar closed up. Then, he would retire to his comfy home in the forest where he would sleep in the cold. When he wakes up, he would train himself for a few hours. Then, it was time to head to the city where he ate what he stole and stole what he needed. Then, he would head back to the bar and continue the cycle.

Deren had no idea when he was going to go after Kai. He kept telling himself that when his body was ready, it would be time. But, how would he know when his body was ready?

Deren sat on the stool he always sat on in the bar, right in front of the bartender and the drinks. He had seven empty shot glasses next to where he was resting his right arm on the table. His head was leaning over another shot glass which was still filled. A large bottle of wine which was not open rested on the table next to where he was resting his left arm.

Deren knew his limit. He knew exactly how much he could drink. But, ever since he got his powers, he was able to drink so much more before finally becoming drunk. His powers somehow enhanced that type of durability.

He had no idea how being struck by lightning gave him powers. Many others before have been struck by lightning and wound up dead. Not Deren, though. This case was special. He figured that it was more than just luck. He wanted to believe that it was fate. That it was magic. Magic was not unheard of in the world he lived in.

Deren leaned back and grabbed his filled shot glass. Quickly, he poured it into his mouth.

"Another." He croaked to the bartender.

"I don't think you should be drinking this much, lad." The bartender said with an accent. "You've already-"

Deren slammed his glass onto the table. When it made contact, it shattered. Everyone in the pub looked over at Deren in surprise. The room went silent. Deren knew exactly what he had done. He knew that people were looking at him, but he didn't care. There wasn't much he cared about in the past months, including his image.

"I said," Deren repeated, "another."

The bartender was about to ask Deren to pay for the glass. But, Deren gave him a glare that gave the bartender ideas on how Deren could hurt him. The bartender was too scared to ask of anything from Deren now. He decided that it would be best if he just did what Deren requested. It was for his own sake. Sure, he could ask some men to throw Deren out, but he knew that Deren wasn't going to yield to a few men.

With shaky hands, the bartender pulled out a shot glass from under the counter. Deren's glare did not die down. The bartender pulled three more shots. That's when Deren's look eased. The bartender then prepared to pour in the drink.

Usually, Deren didn't drink this much. He had no idea why he grew this habit. Many drink to forget, but Deren didn't want to forget. He was in this situation because he couldn't forget. Many drink to enjoy. Deren had nothing to enjoy in life. If someone were to ask why Deren drank, he would not have an answer for them.

A few minutes later, the door to the bar slammed open. Normally, people didn't mind that it opened, but the fact that it was slammed open made people glance over at it. Standing in the doorway was Mara, or at least Mara's spirit inside of Lilith's body. Her hair was long and black, her eyes were a dark, evil green. She wore black robes that touched the floor. A large, black staff was in her hand. Mara extinguished the green light in the tip of the staff earlier to avoid drawing any attention. Everyone looked over at the door except for Deren. He thought himself too cool to care.

It was obvious that Mara did not belong. Her clothes were the first thing that gave it away. Yet, no one questioned her sudden appearance in the pub. Most were too scared while others were still processing it.

"Carry on." Mara ordered.

Reluctantly, everyone took their eyes off of Mara, continuing with their activities. They still kept the presence of the woman in mind, though.

Mara knew that who she was looking for was in the room. It took her a while, but she managed to track down the electric elemental. She was yet to know who it was though. The random, unnatural lightning strikes was a big red flag for Mara. The closer she got to the user, the more she could feel his presence and energy. Only she had that gift. That gift led her to this bar. She knew that a bar wasn't the most common place to find a powered being.

The presence of the lightning user made her look over at Deren. Mara's eyes widened. She knew exactly who he was, instantly recognizing him. Mara had all of Lilith's memories, and Lilith knew Deren well. But, Deren was thought to be dead. That was a detail that Mara did not care to ask about. She came in with a plan, but seeing Deren, the plan had just changed.

She knew how bad Deren wanted revenge on those who wronged him. Mara wanted the same thing. Perhaps, she could use Deren to ensure that both Kai and Elsa receive the ultimate amount of suffering. Mara smiled, with a new plan in her mind. If she could convince Deren, everything would be so much easier for her. Deren would get what he wants. Mara would get what she wants. It's a win-win.

Mara approached Deren and stood behind him. He noticed her presence, but he still did not know who she was and did not really get a glimpse of her.

"Hello Deren." Mara said.

Deren's eyes widened. The voice seemed so familiar. It has been a long time, but there was no mistaking that the voice belonged to Lilith. Deren turned around to face his old acquaintance. Still, there wasn't something right. Her hair and eyes were different. He didn't even want to get started about the clothes.

"Lilith?" Deren asked.

Mara saw no need to avoid details. "Lilith is dead, or at least her soul is. My name is Mara, and I have taken Lilith's body." Luckily, there was no one sitting around Deren to listen in on their conversation. But, most people would've been too drunk to care.

Deren's facial expression did not change.

"Are you not surprised about how far fetched I sound?" Mara asked.

Deren shook his head. "Lady, I've seen a lot of strange things in my life. There really isn't anything you can say that will surprise me." Deren then turned around and face his drinks. He grabbed his wine bottle and popped it open. Roughly, he took a drink. Some of the wine poured out of his mouth and down on his clothes.

He remembered Mara standing behind him. "Need something?" He asked rudely.

"I assume you're the cause of all of that lightning." Mara said, as if she wasn't already sure.

Deren quickly turned around and leaned toward Mara, his eyes giving her an evil look. "Who told you?" Deren asked.

"No one." Mara answered, truthfully. "You're not the only one with gifts."

"Ain't that the truth." Deren said, turning around once again and drinking some of his wine. "Why are you here?" Deren asked. "And I'm pretty sure you're not here for the drinks."

"I require your assistance, believe it or not." Mara answered. "I'll elaborate on this in a later time, but not now, not here."

"Not interested." Deren said, rudely. He then took another drink of his wine bottle.

"I'm sure I have a detail which will change your mind." Mara said.

Deren then turned around once again, facing Mara. He looked at her staff, wondering why in the world she required such a tool. It was obvious that she didn't use it as a walking stick. Mara noticed what his eyes were focusing on. A small purple wisp of energy appeared at the tip of the staff, and then instantly disappearing. Deren did not show surprise in his face. Instead, he showed signs of being intrigued.

"This plan involves revenge." Mara said.

"On whom?" Deren asked.

"You already know the answer to that, don't you?" Mara said.

A small smirk appeared on Deren's face. "Kai..." He said, quitely.

"And Elsa." Mara said. "I am... how should I say this? I am sweetening the deal."

"Alright." Deren said. He then grabbed his wine bottle from the counter. "You've peaked my interest." He then drank the wine until there was not a single drop left in the bottle. He was surprised by how fast he emptied it.

"I'm listening." Deren said.

Mara smiled. She had him right where she wanted him. Deren was now a very valuable asset to her, one she didn't want to lose. But, she could care less if she lost Deren or not. She just needed his blood. After she got that, Deren became a liability. She understood that she shouldn't be asking to lose him though. Right now, he was more useful to her alive rather than dead.

"So," Mara said, "what do you know about prophecies?"

**To be continued in the next chapter**

* * *

><p>Hey guys! So, I decided that the QOTD should be asked every other chapter, meaning there won't be one for this chapter. In the next chapter, however, will have one.<p>

But, I wanted to share something with you guys. I wasn't writing as much because I was too busy reading the Heroes of Olympus Book 5: The Blood of Olympus. I wanted to tell you guys what I thought of the book as a little bonus for this chapter.

Bonus: The Blood of Olympus Unofficial Review

I'll try to avoid spoilers

I just wanted to start this out by saying that I enjoyed the book. It is in no way a bad book. But, it doesn't mean it is flawless. The book, and series in that matter, is far from it.

I'm going to first point out that Percy Jackson does not have a POV in this story at all. I was very disappointed to learn this. He is my, and probably everyone else's, favorite character. I understand that he is not technically the main protagonist anymore, but still, he was a vital character in the series. Instead, we're given POVs from Jason, Piper, Leo, Reyna, and Nico.

The main plot is about the seven demigods (Percy, Annabeth, Frank, Hazel, Piper, Leo, and Jason) trying to stop Gaea. There is a subplot with Leo and Reyna about trying to get the Athena Parthenos to Camp Half Blood to stop a war between Greeks and Romans. I enjoyed the parts with Nico and Reyna the most. I found their POVs very interesting. I couldn't put the book down during their POVs. I was scared that Nico's POV would be all about how he struggles with liking Percy, but nope! It blew my mind how amazing it was. Reyna's, too, was very good. This book gave me a newfound like for Reyna. Most of the time, I found myself more interested in their story rather than that of the seven.

I was very excited for this book as I believed it was to be the best in the series. I soon found that it was not as epic as I thought it was. I believed that the entire story would be just as an epic conclusion that The Last Olympian was. But, for the first two thirds of the book, it was just them continuing their quest which somehow was more boring than the previous books. However, in that last third of the book, it was pretty amazing. It was just as epic as I had hoped for it to be. Unfortunately, only a little of this book was that epic. The Last Olympian was epic all the way through, unlike this one.

Now, I'm going to give my thoughts on the characters. Honestly, I didn't care what happened to them except for Percy and Annabeth. The series has failed to give me any emotional attachment to many of the protagonists. They are, however, very relatable characters. But, Percy and Annabeth have been around much longer than the others. That's probably why I care for them more.

I did not like how they ended the book with Leo. The book has failed to give us a proper goodbye to Percy and Annabeth, especially Percy. Though we may see them again in other adventures, I doubt that there will be a sequel series so therefor there is no proper goodbye to Mr. Jackson.

Speaking of Leo, I just wanted to say this; I do not enjoy his humor. I know how he's suppose to be the funny guy and comic relief, but his jokes are always so, how do I put this, horrible. I find him more annoying than I do a joy. The other characters in the book made more jokes that made me laugh. I just think Leo tries too hard, but I guess that's just his character.

The romance in this book is very subtle. Depending on the person, that's a good or bad thing. I think it's a good thing. I don't read Percy Jackson for the romance. I read it for the action. I did not enjoy the Mark of Athena as much as others because I felt that the romance too much of a strong presence in it. But, there are those who love the romance. This is just my opinion.

The Final Verdict:

I give The Blood of Olympus a good 7/10.

Pros:

Nico and Reyna's characters and stories are awesome

Subtle romance which don't interfere with the plot

Great final act

Cons:

Not an epic conclusion for the most part and does not live up to what The Last Olympian was for the PJ series

Did not make me care much for the characters

Awkward dialogue

Not a proper goodbye to Percy

Author's Note: This book has inspired me for my next project. My next fanfic will be a Percy Jackson / Heroes of Olympus story. More details are on my profile. It will be indirect sequel to The Blood of Olympus, called the Legacies of Olympus, taking place roughly twenty five years after. It will focus on the next generation of demigods and the offspring of the seven demigods. It will be a three part story under one story. As a special treat to my loyal fans who will check it out, I'll give you guys the names for the protagonists and his friends. (Names may change) You'll see these guys in my story. You guys will be the first to know their names, assuming I'll still be interested in this project.

Asher (Ash) Rowe - Mortal, half brother of Daryl Rowe

Daryl (Dare) Rowe - Demigod son of _

Alyssa (Lyss) Walker - Demigod daughter of _

Mason (Ace) Faulkner - Demigod son of _

Alex Wilde - Satyr

Helen Grace - Daughter of Jason Grace and Piper McLean

Odysseus (Odie) Jackson - Son of Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase

Julia Zhang - Daughter of Frank Zhang and Hazel Levesque

Belle - Daughter of Reyna

The Legacies of Olympus will be released 2015!


	6. Winner Takes All

**Winner Takes All**

* * *

><p>The track was in the middle of a large forest clearing that was three hundred meters in width and length. The track took up most of the space, but much of the space was used for the stands. The track was long, about two hundred meters wide and one hundred and fifty meters long so it was ovular. Surrounding the track completely were elevated stands that towered about ten feet above the tracks. In the middle of the track was another stand which stood about five feet above the track. The middle stand was more of a platform than a seating area.<p>

Elsa sat on a grand chair that was on an elevated part of the middle stand. She watched over the entire track from where she was. Anna was sitting on a smaller and simpler chair right next to Elsa. Lena, Anna's baby daughter, sat on Anna's lap. Anna had her chin resting over Lena's short blonde hair. Around them, musicians with different instruments stood in a circle around the platform. In front of them, guards stood with the butt of their spears on the ground. They were there in case any danger presented itself to the Queen.

The amount of people that gathered for the race was unbelievable. Never before has so many people gathered to see a simple reindeer race. The seats were completely filled, and the occupancy was much over the predicted amount. Some people were forced to sit on other's laps while some small children sat on the shoulders of their parents. Everyone wanted a clear view of the game. Miraculously, not a single fight broke out determining which seat belongs to who. People were to excited for the game and focused on nothing else.

There was a large hole through the stands which the horses/reindeers could go through along with their riders. So far, not a single competitor was in the track. The game was yet to start. Only when Elsa said it will start would the riders come riding in. But, they were running a bit late. It has been about five minutes since Elsa was suppose to give the order to let the game begin, but something was preventing her to do so, or rather, someone. The crowd did not notice the delay since most of them did not know the time. They all continued their chats amongst each other.

Elsa scanned the entire visible area from where she was. As she suspected, he was not there.

Lena was standing on Anna's lap, facing her mother. Anna was holding Lena's hand in her own. Lena had a huge smile on her cute face, and Anna couldn't help but smile as well. Anna raised Lena up in the air so her feet were off of Anna's thighs. Anna then lowered her down back on her lap. She continued this motion and made it look like Lena was jumping. The baby smiled and laughed all the way through.

Elsa looked at Anna to see her enjoyment. Elsa quickly looked away, not wanting to be tempted to take Lena away from Anna.

"Where is he?" Elsa whispered to herself.

Anna looked over at her sister and saw the distress in her sister's face.

"Elsa, what's wrong?" Anna asked.

"What do you think?" Elsa retorted.

"Oh." Anna said. She then recalled how Kai had promised to show up to the game the other day. She then remembered the lack of some morals Kai had. Kai's promises didn't mean very much at all. But, she knew that it would do them no good if they lost faith in Kai. Sure, he was late a couple times. He didn't show up even more! But, they knew he always had good intentions. Perhaps he was doing something that was ,ore productive than watching a race.

"He'll be here." Anna assured, not knowing if she believed what she spoke.

"You sure about that?" Elsa asked. "Plus, this is like the tenth time we've had this conversation."

"Hey," Anna said, "You never know. Kai is unpredictable."

Elsa didn't need Anna to tell her that. Elsa knew Kai better than anyone. If she knew one thing about Kai, it was that he had commitment issues. He would plan to do something, but then something "more important" would come up and he'd have to change priorities.

"And is that suppose to make me feel better?" Elsa asked, not satisfied with Anna's words.

"I was kind of hoping." Anna revealed, disappointingly. "For what it's worth," Anna said, in hopes of cheering Elsa up, "I'm sure Kai tried to make an effort to being here."

"Oh," Elsa said, "I don't doubt that." She knew Kai always tried to make an effort in his commitments. She knew that there were things he tried his best to do. "The thing is though, is how much of an effort he put in?" Elsa sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose, closing her eyes. This was a really bad habit of Kai's. He usually only shows up when he is needed and usually that's at the last possible second. The last thing she wanted was for Kai to crash in during the game.

Anna began to laugh, matching the laughs that Lena had. The laughs soon deteriorated into giggles. Elsa looked over at Anna and raised an eyebrow at her. Elsa was really confused as to why her sister was laughing. Had she told an unintentional joke? Was Anna mocking her?

"What's so funny?" Elsa asked.

"The fact that you're always mad at Kai for one reason or another." Anna said. "It's like you're in a love-hate relationship."

"Well, if I'm mad at him, it's always for a good reason." Elsa responded.

"What about that time you woke him up late at night and he didn't want to talk?" Anna asked.

"That was-" Elsa was interrupted by Anna listing another thing.

"What about that time when Kai said he wasn't much of a fan of chocolate?" Anna asked.

"He was-"

"What about that time when Kai worked a little late and you thought he-"

"Shut up, Anna!" Elsa said.

Lena was just turning her head constantly between her mother and her aunt. She had no idea what they were talking about which was normal for a baby. But, she understood that her aunt was not happy. Lena could process that bit of information. There really wasn't much Lena could do about it though. Her attention immediately changed and she focused on the amazing ability of making a fist.

"I'm just teasing, Elsa." Anna said, with a long grin on her face.

"No kidding." Elsa said, slightly annoyed. Elsa realized that the game had not begin. She took a second to realize what was wrong. Then, it clicked. She silently cursed and looked over at Anna.

"I'm sorry, Anna, I forgot that this isn't all about Kai." Elsa said. "It's Kristoff's big day!"

Anna managed a larger smile. She then watched as Elsa slowly rose from her chair. Anna then looked down at her daughter.

"Are you ready to watch daddy play?" Anna asked Lena. Lena had no idea what her mother was talking about but she managed a giggle.

Olaf then popped out from behind Elsa's chair. "Yeah!" Olaf exclaimed. "Go Kristoff!"

Elsa put her hand over her chest and looked like she was going to have a heart attack. "Olaf!" Elsa said. "Don't scare me like that!"

Anna giggled. "I almost forgot that you were here, Olaf."

"I wouldn't miss this for the world." Olaf said.

"Obviously Kai would." Elsa muttered. "You know what? I'm done waiting for him."

Elsa motioned for the band to start playing. The musicians started playing their instruments, forcing the crowd to go silent and listen to what Elsa had to say. Elsa cleared her throat right when the music stopped and silence followed. The crowd waited in anticipation for Elsa's words, or rather, they waited for the game to start otherwise they would have no reason to show up.

"Loyal citizens of Arendelle!" Elsa said. "We gathered here today to witness what is possibly the most intense Reindeer Race of all time!"

The crowd cheered but when Elsa held up her hand, silence followed.

"This game," Elsa announced, "may very well end the rivalry between two of the strongest players; Kristoff Bjorgman and William Thatcher!"

That was when the crowd divided themselves. Approximately half of the crowd in all started to chant the syllables "Krist" and "Off" repeatedly while the other half did the same except with the syllables "Thatch" and "Er". Elsa knew she had to end this before fights broke out in the crowd. She raised her hand and everyone closed their mouths.

"Now, without further ado, I present to you the players!" Elsa exclaimed.

The crowd cheered and turned their attention to the hole connected to the stands. Trotting down on horses, the players came through. There were ten of them in all. They came in in pairs of two in rows of five. Kristoff was in the third row riding next to none other than William Thatcher. Thatcher was about Kristoff's age with dirty blonde hair and blue eyes that gave people the impression that they shouldn't mess with him. Each rider had a six foot, wooden staff in one of their hands. The horses and Sven had a rope on both the left and right side of their bodies. Each rope had five ribbons attached to them. For everyone, the ribbons were a different color. Kristoff had green ribbons on Sven while Thatcher had red ribbons.

Kristoff and Thatcher were less than thrilled to be riding next to each other. In no way we're they friends. Enemies was too strong of a word. Competition was the most accurate thing to call them. Ever since the sport was invented not too long ago, the two have been the top players. Every game, they would tie. They would both win at the same time. They hoped that this game would be the exception, though they both doubted it.

As the ten riders circled around the track, the crowd cheered. One by one, they all broke off and stood their horses next to a large hole built into the wall of the middle platform. Kristoff and Thatcher continued to be next to each other.

"You ready to lose, ice boy?" Thatcher asked Kristoff.

"It's funny," Kristoff said, "'cause I was just about to ask you the same thing."

"Oh, I'm confident of my victory." Thatcher said. He then looked up over at Anna who was in the middle of a conversation with Elsa. "And when I'm done with you," Thatcher continued, "your princess wife over there may be interested in another rider who's not you."

"Have fun with that." Kristoff said.

"With what?" Thatcher asked. "Flirting with that broad?"

"No." Kristoff said, smugly. "Have fun with beating Sven and I."

Kristoff broke away and Sven got over to a hole that was facing where Anna and Elsa were sitting. Kristoff looked up at his family and they smiled. He returned the smile. But, it quickly faded when he saw that Kai wasn't with them. Of course he isn't there, Kristoff thought.

Elsa rose up from her chair when she saw that every participant was next to a built in hole.

"You all know the rules!" Elsa said. "But in case anyone has forgotten, I shall remind you. The riders are to be going non stop around the track. Each horse, including Sven the reindeer, have ten ribbons strapped to them. One way to win is to collect fifteen ribbons in all and put them inside the designated hole of the rider! But, riders may only carry one ribbon on them at a time. They may not collect another ribbon until they put the ribbon in their box. Another way to win is to be the last rider still on their horse or reindeer. Once a rider is knocked off, they are eliminated for the rest of the game. Riders may use their staffs for offense and defense. Are the rules clear?"

The riders all said yes at the same time. Some found it funny that the game was called a race even though the racing element was very subtle, almost nonexistent.

"Well then..." Elsa said. "Let the game begin!"

Instantly, the horses and Sven dashed off. Kristoff could hear the scream of a rider from behind and heard the awes of the crowd. He knew that someone was already eliminated. That was probably a new record for the quickest elimination; less than five seconds in the game. Kristoff has seen people being eliminated early game but not as early as this. He would've been amused, but he was too competitive to think about anything else besides winning.

Kristoff saw a rider ahead of him, completely oblivious to Kristoff and Sven's presence. This rider looked like he had his eyes focused on someone ahead of him. Kristoff and Sven knew that this was his chance to grab a ribbon and possibly eliminate this rider. But, Kristoff couldn't play the entire game on the offensive. He knew that there was a large target on his back and that he would be the prime target for most of the riders, including Thatcher. Kristoff quickly turned his head around and found a rider approaching him. The rider, however, was not at all close to Kristoff. He was about fifty meters away, and Sven was going at a constant speed. He was safe for now.

"Faster Sven." Kristoff ordered.

Sven sped up so his steps were much more spread apart and therefor he ran faster. Kristoff and Sven were directly behind Kristoff's first target. Kristoff leaned forward and reached his hand out to collect a yellow ribbon which was loosely connected to the horse. Before the rider could do anything about it, it was too late. When the rider finally saw Kristoff behind him, Kristoff already had a yellow ribbon in his left hand. The smug look on Kristoff's face gave the rider angry eyes.

The rider gripped his staff tightly and turned so it swung at Kristoff behind him. Kristoff's reaction was quick. Kristoff instinctively ducked so his head rested on Sven's neck. The staff flew past Kristoff's back. Kristoff then shot his body upward with his staff ready. Kristoff spun his staff, which was in his right arm, and hit the rider he was tailing. The rider was knocked off of his horse and rolled onto the track. He didn't stop until his body hit the side of the middle platform.

The rider cursed and slammed the ground with his closed fist. He then quickly climbed up out of the track and onto the platform. His horse ran until it found the exit/entrance to the track and ran out of it. The horses were trained to leave the track when their rider was gone for whatever reason. That way, there would be no obstacles for the other contestants.

Kristoff patted the side of Sven's neck. "Good boy." Kristoff complimented. "Now, let's go win this thing."

Sven ran around the track, ignoring other riders so Kristoff could steal their ribbons later, until they found their box/hole. Sven brought Kristoff closer to it as he ran and Kristoff extended his arm. As they passed it, Kristoff threw his ribbon in, scoring them a point. One down, fourteen more to go, Kristoff thought.

Kristoff saw that the closest player was not so far away. Sven sped up just to catch up with the rider's horse. By the looks of it, the rider had a purple ribbon in his hands while his own ribbons were orange. He was about to score a point for himself. Kristoff had no idea how many points the rider already possessed, but he wasn't willing to let him get another one. Riders were allowed to steal other rider's ribbons, but Kristoff decided it would be easier to just steal one of the orange ribbons instead of battling for the purple one.

Kristoff reached for the orange ribbon at the back of the horse, but he stopped when the staff of the rider smacked his hand away. Kristoff mouthed the word "ouch" when he looked at his hand. He then faced forward towards the rider who was defending his orange ribbon. The rider swung his staff back at Kristoff who blocked it with his own staff. Kristoff pushed the staff away and then swung his staff up at the rider. The rider ducked, and Kristoff failed his attack. The rider then held his staff so that it was between his ribs and his arm. He then turned his body and jabbed back at Kristoff. Kristoff moved his body to the left to avoid the staff.

The staff was still right next to Kristoff's body. The rider slowly moved it so it was touching Kristoff's arm. While that happened, Thatcher on his horse sped past Kristoff and his current opponent.

"Any last words before I take you out?" The rider asked.

Kristoff smiled and raised his left hand which was empty. It took a second for the rider to realize what Kristoff meant. He cautiously looked down at his left hand and found that his purple ribbon was gone. He screamed and looked forward to find Thatcher happily riding with the purple ribbon in his left hand. He looked back at Kristoff who now had an orange ribbon in his hand which he took off the rider's horse. He cursed and raised his staff diagonally above Kristoff.

"Say goodbye." The rider ordered.

Kristoff then jabbed the rider with his staff, hitting the rider. While in pain, the rider dropped his staff and slowly slid off of his horse and onto the track. Kristoff looked back, waving his orange flag.

"Goodbye." Kristoff said.

The game continued for countless more minutes. Kristoff counted the ribbons he took off of horses. In all, he counted ten. If he collected only five more, he could win the game. He looked at Sven and found that Sven only had six ribbons on him. Kristoff had no idea when, where, or how, but opponent riders had taken four ribbons off of Sven and Kristoff was completely oblivious to it. These people were better than he gave them credit for.

It took a few laps for Kristoff to realize that there was no one else in the track. It seemed that everyone was eliminated since he could see no one in front of him. He remembered taking three players out in all. The others must've taken each other out. Had he won? Could Sven stop running? No. If he had one, Elsa would've already declared it so. He also noticed that not all of the audience members were focusing on him.

There was definitely another player still in the game, Kristoff just couldn't see him in front. Then, it clicked. Kristoff turned around to find Thatcher speeding up towards him.

"I thought I smelled fiend." Kristoff muttered. Only Thatcher was in the way of Kristoff's victory. Sure, he could've won by doing the traditional ribbon method, but it would have been much faster to just knock Thatcher off of his horse. Though it would be quicker, in no way would it be easier.

Thatcher rode up to Kristoff and swung his staff at Kristoff. Kristoff barely dodged it by ducking. After he dodged it, Kristoff swung his own staff back at Thatcher, making sure he swung low enough so that ducking wouldn't have helped his case. But, Thatcher did something Kristoff had never seen him do before. Thatcher hugged his horse and fell to the side so that he was holding onto his horses side. The staff swung past the horse, and Thatcher climbed up, back onto the horses back.

"Nice trick." Kristoff complimented.

"I've got more up my sleeve." Thatcher claimed.

Thatcher then rode side by side, next to Kristoff. The two then did not attack each other yet, but they gave each other a glare. Both held their staffs with two hands, spread apart.

Thatcher was the first one to attack. He let out a battle cry and swung his staff so it would hit Kristoff's side and hopefully knock him off of Sven. Kristoff blocked Thatcher's staff with his one. The end of Thatcher's staff hit the space on the staff in between Kristoff's hands. Kristoff pushed the staff away and held the staff horizontally. Kristoff then punched his left hand forward, making the staff swung toward's Thatcher's side. Thatcher, unfortunately, did not have enough time to block the attack. Kristoff hit Thatcher so hard that both understood that a bruise would make it's home on Thatcher's ribs.

Thatcher, holding his staff with one hand, jabbed it toward's Kristoff. It hit Kristoff's chest, pushing Kristoff back. If Kristoff hadn't held onto Sven's neck, he would've been eliminated. Kristoff did his best to keep his feet off of the ground. He climbed back onto Sven who was having a nice exchange with Thatcher's horse.

"You just don't know when to give up!" Thatcher exclaimed.

Thatcher brought his staff up and swung downward toward's Kristoff's head. Kristoff brought his staff up in time to block the attack. Anna, who was in the middle platform, was scared for a second since she believed that it would be the end for Kristoff.

Thatcher was pushing his staff down on Kristoff as hard as he could. Kristoff struggled to keep his staff up since his arms began to tire. Then, Kristoff saw his golden opportunity. Kristoff raised his leg, which was resting on Sven's side, and kicked it upward toward's Thatcher. It hit Thatcher straight in the gut, and he was knocked off of his horse.

Thatcher rolled on the ground behind Kristoff. His horse continued to run and looked for the exit for the track. The crowd cheered and applauded as Sven slowed down to a complete stop. Kristoff looked back at Thatcher.

"Neither do you." Kristoff said.

Kristoff looked up at his wife and daughter. Anna was standing, holding a laughing Lena in her arms. Anna gave Kristoff a smile that showed how proud she was. Elsa was clapping her hands very quickly, glad that her brother-in-law just won and settled his score.

But, Kristoff could still not see Kai with the others. That made Kristoff wonder the importance of Kai's current task. Kristoff shrugged and put it aside. Now was not a time to worry about Kai.

Flowers and ribbons were thrown onto the track and at Kristoff. The crowd was wild with cheer. It was funny since many of the people weren't even voting for Kristoff in the first place. It didn't matter though. He was getting praise whether he liked it or not.

Kristoff patted Sven's neck.

"We did good today, buddy." Kristoff said. "We did good..."

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><p>Author's Note: I apologize for being really late for this chapter. I usually like cliffhangers, but not this time apparently. I was too busy doing other things to post this earlier. By that, I mean I was too lazy. I will probably post chapters at least twice every seven days, and that's a hope. I also can't wait for my next fanfic to be published. The Legacies of Olympus will be up after this fic is done. The only problem with writing that one is that many of the monsters and people in GreekRoman lore have already been used. I know a few which I'm sure to use. But, if you have any suggestions, please PM me! Anyway, please write a review/comment!

**QOTD: Worst Disney Princess in your opinion (don't kill each other in the comments)**


	7. Things Happened

Author's Note: There couldn't really be a winner for last chapter's QOTD since everyone pretty much said Snow White.

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><p><strong>Things Happened<strong>

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><p>The building where they were keeping the rest of the "merchandise" from the trade ring was another uncharted building in the outskirts of Arendelle, inside the forest. Unlike the other building where most of the negotiations took place, this one was not in a clearing. Trees completely surrounded the building, very close by. There wasn't even a path that was connected to it. People who do business or are somehow associated with the building were forced to memorize where it was and keep it's location deep in their minds. Under no circumstances were they to reveal it's location to anyone who had no business with it.<p>

It's placement away from civilization meant that no one could hear the cries of the prisoners inside. None of the prisoners had done any wrong which made them deserve being in that building. The prisoners were more like poor, helpless people taken from their homes and families unfairly. The captives were mostly young women who were mostly sold to be a... Something that no woman should be forced to be and/or do. The very few men who were there were mostly sold for slave labor which, in most lands, was illegal. One day in their lives, they were subdued and kidnapped by these evil traders who would show them off and sell them. They would sell what was not theirs to begin with in the first place.

All of these people were taught to be obedient. Most knew better than to try to escape. Security of the building was top notch. Those who attempted escape suffered and their "owners" made sure that they would never attempt to rebel again. It was an incredibly cruel thing to do to these people, but money was what kept these bad men from stopping. As long as their profits were excessively large, then they couldn't care less about what they were doing to these people.

The building in the forest held the tortured souls of countless people. Kai knew that, and he made it his priority to stop it all before more suffered like these people.

After months of searching and searching, Kai had finally found the one responsible for all of this horror; Gerald. When Gerald was taken into custody by Arendelle's guards, Kai might as well have jumped in the air and fist pumped. Of course, he had to look professional and cool when he was around his men. Kai felt a sense of accomplishment when he took Gerald down. He could not express the feeling he got in words. But, taking Gerald down was not the end of his crusade. There was still something left to do. Only when it was all over could he have a calm mind and sleep at night without worrying about the next day. But, in order to do that, he needed to save the captives. In order to do that, he needed to find where they were. In order to do that, he needed answers.

Gerald was the first person Kai interrogated. The guards brought Gerald in a dark room during the morning of Kristoff's big game. The only form of light was from Kai's hand when he summoned a ball of fire to illuminate everything. But, most of the reason he had fire out was to intimidate Gerald. He wanted to scare Gerald into spilling out everything. He was not above using brutal tactics to interrogate people. In fact, he was quite famous to the Bandits because of just that. Kai only had one rule: do not kill another human being. He could beat and hurt others all he wanted, but as long as they were breathing, his conscious was clear. He would never kill, but he'd make people wish they were dead. Although, he had become much more refined ever since he met Elsa.

The thing Kai asked himself was what would his friends think if he beat Gerald for the answer? He had hurt Gerald enough prior to the interrogation. He didn't want to show them how bad he can really be. Lena was scared of him as it was. He didn't want to strain anything he had with his friends. He also realized that if he used thuggish tactics to get answers, well, that doesn't make him any better than the Bandits he once were with and fought. No. That's not how he wanted to get his answers.

Luckily for Kai, he didn't need to. It didn't take much to get Gerald to cooperate with Kai. After a few minutes of interrogation and a few, blank threats, Gerald finally spilled the location of where they were keeping the girls. He knew that his life was pretty much over since it would be spent in a cell. There was no reason to hold back on the information except to make other's angry and miserable. Gerald, though corrupt and crooked, was not that unkind. He was not stupid, and he knew exactly when to raise a white flag. Plus, he knew that Kai was going to find out their location no matter what, so he might as well have saved Kai the trouble.

Kai left immediately after Gerald said that the building was in the outskirts of Arendelle. The men that helped liberate the previous building accompanied Kai on finishing the mission on his request. Once and for all, Kai was going to end it.

It took maybe an hour for everyone to get there and find the place. The sun was still out, and it was starting to set. Kai stood in the front of his group of guards, right outside of the building. On the outside, there were no windows. The walls were a faded brownish, red color. It stood to be at least three stories tall, blocking the sun's light from the guards and Kai. He wore his navy blue, hooded tailcoat and brown boots. His hand his over his sword which was strapped to his waist. The castle guards wore their normal green attire which indicated their occupation.

Kai turned to face his men. "For too long have we been chasing these men in an attempt to liberate and save the people they have wrongfully taken." Kai announced. "I will take half of you men inside, the other half must stay out here in case of surprise reinforcements show up or if we fail." Kai looked around at the faces of his men and noticed that some were determined and some were uneasy. He didn't care who went in with him. If he had to, he would fight alone in there. Kai knew better than that, though. His men were as loyal as can be. There would be no way that they would leave Kai fighting alone. "We're going to put a stop to all of this, today!" Kai exclaimed. "Who's with me?"

Every guard cheered and raised their spears. Even the ones who were unsure cheered with wild looks on their faces. It was obvious that some had changed their minds. That was exactly what Kai wanted to see in his men. Courage even when you were unsure.

Kai turned around to face the large, wooden, double doors that was the entrance to the building. Kai focused all of his energy into creating a fireball in his hand. When he felt that it was ready, he shot it at the door. The door exploded into splinters and smithereens. Not a single trace of it was left guarding the door. About half of the guards let out a battle cry and charged in, ready to take out whoever stood in their way. Kai, however, walked past his charging guards to meet another guard who seemed to be holding the exterior of the building.

Both locked eyes with each other.

"I can't promise that we'll be the ones running out of that door, later." Kai said.

"Understood, sir." The guard said.

"I need you to be ready for anything." Kai ordered. "In battle, things happen. In there, things _will _happen."

With that, Kai marched into the building with his sword and dagger drawn.

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><p>The guards all raised their weapons and pointed them at the door when they heard a bombardment of footsteps coming from inside the building. It had been about fifteen minutes since Kai and the others walked in to liberate the building. Most of the guards expected it to take longer for any sign of anyone exiting. Fifteen minutes was all it took however.<p>

The guards instantly lowered their weapons when they saw many women and a handful of men - barefoot and wearing rags - were running out of the building. Most had relieved and joyful looks on their faces. Following them were a few guards, only a fraction of what Kai sent in with him. Kai was however, not in the crowd. Some of the guards started to worry when they saw that there was no one to immediately follow the guards after the freed captives. Then, out came another wave of guards. This one, however, was not in as good of a shape as the others were. Many of them had cuts on their bodies and bruises in their faces. A few had broken weapons.

Kai was in the middle of the group. He didn't seem to have sustained many injuries except for a cut on his lip. Blood was trickling down the corner of his mouth. There was a small cut on his cheekbone. Some blood was on his knuckles because he punched a few people in the face. Other than that, he seemed fine. He walked out with his back straight which showed everyone the good condition Kai was in. He had a smile on his face, telling the men who were clueless that the mission was a success.

He walked over to the guard he previously talked to.

"Get a group of men," Kai said, "and incapacitate the hostiles inside by chaining or tying them up."

"What happened in there?" The guard asked.

Kai looked back at the building with a smile. Some guards were still walking out of the building, supporting each other as they did it. But, Kai's smile immediately faded when he saw a familiar face in the crowd. Standing in the doorway, wearing the same thing Kai recalled him of wearing, was Cade with a blank expression in his face. Kai knew that it was just his imagination, but it seemed so real. He could thank Cade for distracting him, allowing Kai to get the cut on his cheek. When a guard passed through Cade's body, he disappeared into thin air.

"Sir," the guard said, "what happened in there?"

"Things happened..." Kai said.

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><p>Kai sat on one of the fountains which was inside of the Arendelle Castle courtyard. Few guards were scattered around the courtyard, trying their best to stay alert even though half of them were half asleep. Kai's legs were spread as he sat, his back somewhat hunched. His golden handled dagger was in his hand. Kai then tossed it in the air, flying a few inches above of his head. When it fell down again, he caught the blade with his right hand on the handle. Kai repeatedly tossed it out of boredom, waiting for his friends to return. Not once did he mess up and accidentally drop the blade, nor did he ever cut himself.<p>

Kai always had his dagger on him. As long as he had it, he would get good luck in a fight. He always won battles with it. But, then again, battles always seemed to come to him. Perhaps it was because of his dagger that fights always seemed to find their way to him. Some would consider that a bad thing, but he always won. There happened to be both a good and bad thing about that dagger. The fact that it was "lucky", however, did not mean it was welcome to all. Kai always kept his blade away from Lena, for good reasons. The baby was too clueless. The amount of damage Lena could cause herself with that dagger was extremely high. It was not a toy, that was for sure.

Lena. Lena wasn't Kai's best friend. In fact, the baby seemed to have developed a great fear for Kai. That was probably due to the fact that Kai can be very intimidating to everyone, and because of the fact that Kai did not know how to deal with babies very well at all. Kai was not a children pleaser because of the lack of skill and experience he had with them. He never would've thought that he would be involved in the life of a child this much. Kai found it quite embarrassing while he friends were somewhat amused. Well, at least Kai knew how to take care of a child better than Olaf did. Olaf was always so playful, and under only a few circumstances did he take things seriously. Taking care of a baby was not one of those circumstances. He took care of a baby like, well, a snowman. Luckily for both of them, Anna and Kristoff took most of the responsibility.

Kai shrugged off the thoughts of babies. Now was not the time for that. First, he had to explain exactly why he wasn't present at Kristoff's big game even though he made a big deal about promising it. They might think that he didn't want to be with them, which was not true at all. It's just that he couldn't be with them. There were things that were more important to him, and though that might sound cruel, those things benefited everyone, not just Kai.

When Kai looked at the clear, mirror like blade of his dagger, he dropped it. Replacing his face was the face of Cade, giving Kai the same blank stare he gave earlier. Kai wanted to stand up and yell "Get out of my head!" but he didn't want to look like he was losing his mind in front of the people around him. But, perhaps he wouldn't have been lying. Cade could not get out of Kai's dreams, and everywhere he looked, Cade was there with the blank expression. This wouldn't have been happening if Kai did not believe that he failed. Kai could not come to peace with what happened back at the ice palace, so therefore the images will just keep coming.

When he heard the gates open, Kai immediately picked up his blade and shot up, standing. He then sheathed his blade to look less hostile. Elsa, Kristoff, Anna, Olaf, Sven, and Lena in Anna's arms walked into the courtyard, all in the middle of a conversation. Following them was an escort of four guards, all who dispersed into the courtyard upon entrance. The group all had smiles on their faces, and when they looked over at Kai, only Elsa's smile faded.

Kai waved his hand at them. "Hey." He said, nonchalantly.

"Hi!" Olaf exclaimed.

"Heya, Kai." Anna said.

"'Sup?" Kristoff said.

Only Elsa stood there, quite, an angry look on her face.

"So..." Kai said, feeling a bit awkward. "How was the game?"

"Well," Kristoff said, "I finally took that jerk, Thatcher, down."

"So, you won?" Kai asked.

"Well, that's heavily implied." Kristoff said, smirking.

"Kristoff was amazing in there." Anna said, just realizing her poor choice of words. She mentally shrugged it off. "You should've seen him! He was all like-" Anna held onto Lena tightly with one arm, holding her close to her chest. Anna then swung her other arm, pretending she had a staff in her hand. "Wapow!" Anna exclaimed. Anna then proceeded to make many more ridiculous sound effects and arm movements.

While she was doing it, Kai looked at Kristoff.

"Did it seriously happen like that?" Kai asked Kristoff.

Kristoff nodded, blushing at how stupid he looked in the track. "More or less." Kristoff answered.

Anna's imitations fell short when Elsa asked Kai the million dollar question.

"Where were you?" Elsa asked, demanding immediate answers.

"Saving the day." Kai answered. "Same old, same old."

"Abandoning your fiance and friends is what you call saving the day?" Elsa asked, angrily. Then, she realized that him being absent was indeed same old, same old. She desperately wanted to freeze Kai's pants or kick him out of the castle for the night. There were very few things Kai could say to justify what he did. Luckily for Kai, however, his excuse was one of those few things.

"For your information, princess." Kai said.

"Queen." Elsa corrected once again. This was Kai's way of teasing her. Although she didn't look like it, Elsa was indeed a queen. A very young queen, but a queen nonetheless.

"I was too busy on the case." Kai said. "I interrogated Gerald while you were gone, but I tried to make the effort to make it to the game."

As Kai talked to Elsa, the others slipped away slyly, not desiring to be apart of this feud between Elsa and Kai. They hated it whenever they were in the middle of an argument between Kai and Elsa. Then, they would have to choose sides, and that was always hard and awkward. This happened a lot, however. Elsa and Kai were naturally polar opposites, meaning they were meant to not get along. However, they still managed. How, they did not know.

"Obviously the effort wasn't much." Elsa said. By that time, the others have left the two alone.

"Look," Kai said, "the traders knew that they were compromised before I even interrogated Gerald. It was only a matter of time before they moved their prisoners to another location. I had to get there as fast as I could and liberate as much as I could. And guess what happened? I did it! Those people are to be sent home, back to their families. So, now, I can rest easy!"

Kai said everything so fast that Elsa had to make an effort on following along. Kai had been practicing what to say earlier, and he hoped that the practice would birng him positive results.

Kai thought that Elsa was going to hit him when she took a step closer to him. Her angry expression then lessened and turned into an expression of pity. She leaned and kissed Kai on the cheek, much to his confusion.

Kai had no words to follow. "But, I-"

"You did what you had to do." Elsa said. "And you did the right thing." Elsa just realized how much of a jerk she was being to Kai. She knew that Kai couldn't be everywhere at once. He was powerful, but not godlike. Elsa realized just how hard Kai had it, and she even felt sorry for him. For Kai's job, physical abilities were a requirement. He needed to be able to do things that others could not top. Very commonly, Kai risked his life for people, prioritizing their safety above his. It was possible everyday that Elsa could lose Kai. She wondered why she even gave Kai the job in the first place.

"It's alright." Kai said, knowing how bad Elsa must've felt. "Just don't make everything about us. I'm not saying this to help me, I'm saying this to help _you_."

Elsa wanted to be offended, but how could she? She didn't even know what Kai really meant by that.

"What do you mean?" Elsa asked.

"I mean, please don't make me the center of your world." Kai said. "You know me, and you know how easily bad things can happen to me. If I'm the center, and the center is gone, what left of the world is there for you? The last time you thought I was dead, well, it destroyed you. I don't want you getting hurt because of me."

Elsa started to understand and realize what Kai meant. She didn't like what he was saying. It was as if he wanted these bad things to happen to him. He shouldn't be Elsa's only light in a dark tunnel. She needed to make more lights for herself. If she lost the one light, which was Kai, then she would be lost in complete darkness with no direction. She couldn't let that happen to herself. Kai couldn't let that happen to Elsa. He cared too much for her to let that happen. He then realized his total hypocrisy. Elsa was Kai's center. He needed to learn how to make the others just as significant in his life.

"You're not my center." Elsa said, now knowing that Kai shouldn't be the one she could look to. "Anna is."

Kai smiled. "That's a better choice than me." Kai said. "She definitely has less of a chance dying everyday. And because of that, I'll do whatever I can to protect her and the others."

"Thank you..." Elsa said, staring at her feet.

Kai put his hand on her chin and lifted it up. "Chin up." He said. "And for what it's worth, I promise I'll be there for the next game."

"That's not worth much." Elsa pointed out.

"It's at least worth something." Kai defended.

"Yeah, but barely. It can almost be worth nothing." Elsa said. "I mean-"

"Okay," Kai said, "I get it. It's not true when you say it's almost worth nothing."

"What's _true_ and what _is _aren't always the same." Elsa said.

Kai was about to say something esle, but he took Elsa's words into account. She was completely right about that. It made Kai wonder why people fight to have the superior opinion, and even when they get it, it's not always right. That gave Kai a new perspective on life.

Kai smiled and put his arms on Elsa's shoulders. "Let's just forget about this for a day, okay?" Kai suggested. "This time tomorrow, we're getting married, or have you forgotten?"

Elsa returned the smile. "I thought I was going to have to remind you." Elsa said.

"How could I forget?" Kai asked.

Elsa raised an eyebrow.

"Oh." Kai said. "Fair enough."

Elsa put down her eyebrow and smiled.

"But now," Kai said, "it's time for training."

**To be continued in the next chapter**

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><p>Author's Note: Did anyone catch the AC reference I put in this chapter? I apologize that this chapter was released later! I've been too busylazy to write. From now on, I'll try to post as much as I can, but that may still be only once a week again. There originally was suppose to be an action scene in this chapter, but I wanted to get this chapter out to you guys as soon as possible, so unfortunately, the action will have to be moved to the next chapter. There originally wasn't going to be a QOTD this time, but something came up and that changed my mind. Ciao.

**QOTD: What did you think of the Avengers: Age of Ultron teaser trailer which was just released? **


	8. The Blizzard and the Inferno

**The Blizzard and the Inferno**

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><p>Elsa's training had begun.<p>

Elsa and Kai stood outside the castle, in the empty courtyard which would usually be filled with guards on a defensive post. Under a few special occasions, however, they were to leave that post and do other productive things such as patrol other parts of the castle or make sure no one is causing trouble in the city. Most people knew better than to mess around in the city, though, because Kai's intimidation was more powerful than their needs to wreak havoc and cause trouble. Everyone knew that it would not be good for their health if they ever got on Kai's bad side. Many people knew how it felt to be on that side.

The occasion that cleared the courtyard was a weekly thing. Once a week, the guards were to exit the courtyard by order of Elsa, herself. It was so that Elsa and Kai could use it as their personal training ground where the couple fought each other with non-lethal weapons and under some conditions use their powers. Kai always did his best to not use his power against Elsa because, one, fire was to be used by Kai in offense, and two, because he didn't want to risk hurting Elsa. Elsa, unlike Kai, was not fire-proof and she could be hurt with fire just like anyone else would. Kai, however, had a sort of resistant to cold because he was always warm. To Elsa, that never seemed fair, but what could she do about it? Go to a magical fairy and request him or her to grant her a new ability. Elsa found it selfish of her to long for more powers like that. She knew that there were people out there without powers at all. A few billion people, in fact. Everyone besides her and Kai, in fact. As far as she was concerned, Kai and she were the only people alive to possess elemental abilities. If there were more, Elsa had not crossed paths with them.

Kai was okay with Elsa using her powers against him, as long as she didn't blast ice directly at his head or heart. That would cause serious trouble and damage. But, that would be nothing compared to what Kai could do with his own powers. Deren could thank Kai for what he did to his face.

Elsa wore the same ice armor she made the other day when they were taking down the traders. In that, no one could tell that she was a queen. She looked like a female warrior who would cut one's head off just as easily as she would kiss them. Beautiful but deadly. It's funny how the two often coincide with each other. Kai was wearing the same navy blue tailcoat which sort of became his usual attire. It was not at all civilian wear, nor did it look like the standard guard cloak. His clothes were fancy enough to show that he was of authority, but they were loose and made well enough for action. If someone saw Kai in that, they would instantly know that he was the type of guy to walk into a fancy party and fit in, only to say "Time to die!" when the time was right.

Kai did not have his sword on him. He reckoned that it would be easier to not hurt Elsa if his sword was not included in the battle. That didn't mean, however, that he was going to let Elsa win. He knew that her enemies, if she ever encountered anymore, would not show her the kindness of going easy in battle. Kai had never done that before in his life, and he considered himself a good guy. What he does to others was actually rather tame compared to what he could do at maximum power and without his morals. Most of the men Kai fought had no morals to hold them back. He always had to be careful with them, and he knew that Elsa had to do the same. He didn't necessarily want to turn her into what Kai was, a brutal fire wielding machine. He just wanted to teach her how to take care of herself with a sword when needed.

Elsa, on the other hand, wanted to know how to handle herself just like Kai. Blood would be dripped whenever Kai fought others. Elsa, so far, has never had any blood drop on her behalf. She did suspect that some things Kai was teaching her did not feel or look like something Kai would do. It all felt... refined, like he had a max limit on how well he could teach her. She knew better than to ask questions though. She knew that Kai knew what was best for her to be taught, and she was lucky to even have these lessons at all. Anna didn't know how to wield a blade at all. Elsa needed to be there to protect her sister if the time ever came. Sure, Anna had Kristoff, and sure, he was a brute and knew how to use a staff and pickaxe well, but his experience in battle was limited. The number of situations he was in were not very high. Elsa pondered why both Kristoff and Anna declined lessons from Kai. It must have been because of Lena. Surely, they didn't want to be violent people in front of their daughter. Elsa, however, was a different case.

Both Kai and Elsa held wooden sticks in their hand. The sticks were about the same size of an actual sword, but they were smooth and made a perfect circle at the top and bottom. There was a ring that went around the lower side of the sticks which signified where the handle was. The sticks were both as hard as a rock, but they weren't weapons which should be preferred in battle. They were quite pathetic compared to Kai's sword and some of Elsa's artificial ice weapons. They were, however, very useful tools for training. The best substitute for a training sword would be none other than the sticks. The weight and feel of the handle matched that of a sword.

The two stood on opposite ends of the courtyard; Kai stood a few feet in front of the gate and Elsa stood a few feet in front of the castle doors. Unbeknownst to them, Anna and Kristoff were watching the two stare down at each other from their room window. Anna and Kristoff never cared much to bother look at a training session, but this time, it was special. On very few occasions would Kai and Elsa spar with each other, and everyone wanted to know the outcome.

"Are you ready, princess?" Kai asked. He then spun his weapon, flawlessly.

"As I'll ever be." Elsa said, intimidated. She then attempted to spin her sword as well but it fell to the ground and rolled a few inches away from Elsa. Kai raised an eyebrow as Elsa reached down to get it.

"Sorry!" Elsa apologized.

"No," Kai said, "don't be sorry. When you die from being distracted because you couldn't spin a simple stick, then you can be sorry."

"Don't need to be a jerk about it." Elsa muttered.

"What was that?" Kai said, able to hear her voice but incapable of making out the words Elsa said.

"I said," Elsa repeated, "I'm sorry O great Kai. My ignorance to your teachings and my pathetic incapability to do a simple trick has greatly offended you and your being. I might as well commit seppuku now, where I stand."

From the inside of her room, Anna looked at Kristoff and asked "What's seppuku?"

"It's when a guy takes a sword and stabs himself in the abdomen and moves it around until he dies." Kristoff answered.

"That's horrible!" Anna said, trying to hold back some vomit. "Why would anyone want to do that?!"

Kristoff shrugged. "Apparently, it meant an honorable death."

"Honorable and painful." Anna added.

"Very." Kristoff added.

"Who invented this?" Anna asked.

"The Japanese." Kristoff answered.

Kristoff didn't remember where he had learned that term. Kai, however, knew where _he _got that term. When working with the Bandits, Kai had been taught many fighting styles and the culture from where those styles originated from. He picked up a thing or two about samurais. Kai's fighting style was a mixture of many fighting styles, including samurai. In battle, he was a strong as a samurai and as swift as a ninja. His mom had also taught him a thing or two about the Japanese culture when he was very young. She was, in fact, half Japanese because of her mother. It was Kai's mother who gave him the name Kai, meaning ocean or sea in Japanese. Kai didn't really shared this heritage to his friends because he didn't really care about it.

Kai knew for a fact that Elsa was just messing with him. She usually wasn't this sarcastic. He wondered where she got _that _from. Kai managed a small smile which Elsa couldn't see. I taught her well, Kai thought to himself.

"O Great Kai, huh?" Kai repeated after Elsa. "I like that... a lot."

"Well," Elsa said, "enjoy it, _sweetie._" Elsa said that with so much sarcasm that Kai's smile faded. "It's going to be the last time I call you that."

"How 'bout," Kai said, "if I win, you call me The Great Kai for the rest of our lives?" Kai said.

"Uh..." Elsa said. "How 'bout no? But if _I _win, you will stop calling me princess for the rest of our lives?"

Kai then spread his legs a few inches apart from where they were originally placed. He then spun his weapon over his head, the weapon making a _whish _sound when he did it. Kai then kept it in his right hand and pointed it so that the bottom tip was diagonally facing the ground. Elsa didn't even try to mimic what Kai just did. Although he was teaching her most of what he knew, his swordsmanship was far superior to Elsa's. Kai had many years of practice and experience that helped hone his skills. Elsa only had a few weeks and only used her skills in an actual battle once, and she mostly relied on her powers for that battle. All of this made Elsa wonder why she even bothered to go against Kai. She hoped that Kai would go easy on her.

"No thanks." Kai stated. "I'm good."

Elsa swung her weapon so that she was in the same weapon hold that Kai was in. However, their stances were very different. Elsa stood up straight and with dignity, as a queen should have. Kai, on the other hand, had his legs slightly crouch with his back bent forward. It was an all out offensive stance, one that Elsa knew would not fit her well.

After a second or two of staring each other down, and waiting for the other one to make a move, Elsa decided that it was best if she attacked first to practice a full-frontal attack on an enemy. She ran at Kai without haste, her feet moving as swiftly as a river. Kai raised his stick up and away from the ground so that it was facing diagonally a foot away from his torso. That was a counter position Kai knew how to use very well. He did not think Elsa could land a hit on him because of his precaution. But, unfortunately for Kai, Elsa studied Kai's moves and knew them well enough to predict what he was going to do next. When she was only a few yards away from Kai, she used her open hand and pointed to her feet as she ran. She then launched off the ground from a pillar of ice that shot upward from her feet. After she ceased contact with it, the pillar dispersed into tiny snowflakes which floated gracefully onto the ground.

Kai's eyes widened as he saw Elsa fall toward him with her sword above her head. He was too struck with awe that he barely had time to escape certain defeat. He took a step back as Elsa swung her stick downward, and instead of hitting Kai, it hit the stone ground as she landed on her feet. She shot her head upward to face Kai who was standing less than five feet away from her. She couldn't read his expression. Was it confusion? Was it surprise? She knew that it was only a matter of time before Kai struck back.

"Hey!" Kai said. "What happened to no powers?!" He exclaimed. He then swung his stick sideways, heading towards Elsa's left arm. Elsa skipped back as Kai swung his sword in a straight, horizontal line where Elsa used to be standing.

"Did we make that a rule?" Elsa asked, smirking.

Kai then looked down at his feet, trying to remember if they seriously made it a rule. He had less than a second to react to the sound of Elsa's weapon swing towards him. Kai grabbed the other end of the stick with his other hand and quickly moved it upwards so that it was vertical. Elsa's stick hit Kai's straight in the middle, in between both of his hands. He then jerked his stick to the direction Elsa's stick met his. Kai parried Elsa, forcing her body to move downward in the direction that Kai made Elsa's sword go. He was about to hit her with his weapon, but she was quicker than he was for once. He got out of her parried stance and swung at Kai who blocked the attack.

As Elsa took her stick away, Kai took his strike. This time, Kai swung it from above, diagonally towards Elsa. She quickly raised her weapon up and horizontally and put all of her strength to not let Kai's stick reach her. Kai's attack was blocked, but the force of it made Elsa take a step back. Then came the barrage of Kai's attack. It was nothing that Elsa had ever prepared for, but she knew the gist of what to do. One after another, Kai swung his stick at Elsa in different directions each time in order to get past Elsa's defense and hit her armor. He knew that if he did hit her, it wouldn't hurt, but in a real battle, it definitely would've since they both were pretty sure that most of their enemies would not use sticks, except for maybe those fools who used club. If she got hit once, she lost and training would be over. She would've disappointed Kai.

Elsa couldn't keep track on how many times she raised her arms to block Kai's attacks with her sticks. The constant sound of wood smacking against wood rang in her ears like it was the sound she was most accustomed to. A bead of sweat found its way from her forehead, to her nose, to her chin, and finally to the stone ground. That was how Elsa knew she was getting quote a work out. Her constant cool body temperature usually kept her from sweating like a normal human would sweat, however, when her physical limits were being pushed, only then would she sweat. When she did sweat, she would ironically find it unnatural and, in a way, disturbing. Kai noticed the sweat that found its way away from Elsa. He was pushing her like her enemies would push her. Good, he thought. She needed to be pushed.

As royalty, Elsa was usually never pushed. When she was pushed, she would do her best to not give in to what the others wanted. Anna had pushed her to build a snowman with her for more than a damn decade. Elsa never gave in to her requests. Elsa did things her own way. Elsa eventually did build a snowman, though. However, she built them herself. All of that after Anna made never-ending requests... That seemed like a mean thing for Elsa to do, and she hoped that Anna didn't realize that. The point was, though, that Elsa does things her own way and would not let someone push her until she fell.

Elsa and Kai soon found themselves in the middle of the courtyard after Kai and forced her forward. If he kept attacking her like that, they would reach the castle doors by no time. Elsa knew that when that happened, she would have been cornered and would have no where to run. She couldn't let that happen to herself.

Instead of blocking the next attack like she usually did, she took a step back and made Kai swing at an empty space. She then jabbed her weapon forward at Kai who also sidestepped it. The tip of the stick was only an inch away from Kai's gut. He then swung his stick so that it hit Elsa's out of the way and raised it upward. As Kai swung down, Elsa sidestepped to her right so that Kai hit nothing but the stone ground. Elsa took a step forward so that she was facing the left side of Kai's body. She swung her stick from her right and it was going straight for Kai's back. Kai moved his sword arm as if it was reaching to touch the back of his neck. His stick was then behind his body, facing downward and ready to intercept Elsa's strike. Sure enough, Elsa's attack failed and Kai swung his weapon back in front of him. Elsa was almost disarmed, and she would have been if it wasn't for some small ice that she quickly created in her palm to keep the stick from disconnecting from her hand. Words of wisdom: it's not cheating if you don't get caught.

Kai spun so that he was facing Elsa once again. Then, the two took turns striking at each other with their sticks, but it seemed to no avail. The other person always blocked it, no matter the direction of where it went. Kai kept a straight, calm face the entire clash, but Elsa had her teeth showing and her eyes pointed down with rage. Kai knew that it was only a matter of time before Elsa attacked him with everything she could muster. Kai knew rages like those before. It gave people the advantage of stronger and more quick strikes but at the cost of move efficiency and defense.

Kai had to admit that he was getting tired as it was. He had no idea what Elsa's rage attacks would look like, he had a feeling that it would be best for him to not find out. Kai slowly shifted his placement on the ground as he and Elsa fought. Elsa soon had her back facing the large gate of the outer castle walls that led to a stone bridge which connected to the city. Kai raised his stick diagonally on his right side and Elsa did the same on her right side as well, except from Kai's perspective, it looked like it was on the left side. The two then swung at the same time and the sticks met in the middle, in between the two. The clash was powerful enough to make both slide an inch or two back. The two kept their clash and looked at each other with eyes of determination for victory.

"At this rate," Kai taunted, "you can't beat me princess."

Elsa could hear the struggle in his voice. "It doesn't look like you're doing much better than me." Elsa countered.

From Elsa's hands, ice crept its way up the stick, soon completely covering it. That gave it a reinforcement in strength, a reinforcement that could determine the winner of their little battle. The ice soon moved over onto Kai's stick and moved quicker than it did on Elsa's stick. In order to not lose his weapon, Kai tightened his grip on his handle and flames shot upward onto the stick, melting the ice. Kai knew that it was only a matter of time before his stick burned away completely. Where the ice of Elsa's stick and the fire of Kai's stick met, smoke came out. Kai then kicked Elsa back, ending the clash. Elsa slid, on her feet, yards back until her heel touched the gate of the outer walls.

Kai's kick had more kick than he intended. Kai swung his stick downward and the flames extinguished immediately.

Elsa, however, was not done using her powers to her advantage. More layers of ice covered her stick and she could feel it become heavier. Around and under her feet grew a platform of ice and icicles shot out of the ground around her. She leaned forward, ready to launch herself at an incredible speed for a power attack on Kai. A miniature storm of snow and hail grew behind her, and the hail, instead of falling onto the ground, danced in a stormy vortex that Elsa unknowingly created behind her.

Kai saw how charged Elsa was, and he was not willing to let that be the end of the battle. Kai then swung his stick and fire engulfed it once again. Kai then closed his eyes and concentrated on being as fast as a fiery comet. When Kai opened his eyes, he saw Elsa sliding towards him on ice with her stick raised. Kai launched himself upward with fire as quick as a cheetah. Kai's body was soon engulfed in flames as he raised his sword at Elsa while he was falling down. He only then realized the harm he could have caused her there. But, she looked like there was nothing that could hurt her. Kai hoped so.

"Focus or be sent into the inferno!" Kai exclaimed.

"I'm going to have to make you cool down!" Elsa replied.

When Kai was close enough, he swung his fiery stick down at Elsa who met the stick her her icy weapon.

When the weapons hit each other, the dust and dirt on the ground around them came out of the ground and spread all over, making the two lost in a cloud of dust and dirt. Anna and Kristoff, who were watching them still, stood with their eyes widened and jaws dropped. They couldn't Kai nor Elsa. The dust completely covered them. After a second or two, the dust started to clear and the dark silhouette of someone was standing over that of another dark silhouette. Anna and Kristoff couldn't tell whether if the person standing was Kai or Elsa. But, after a few more seconds, it was revealed that it was none other than Kai who was standing, panting as he looked down at Elsa.

Elsa was laying on the ground, panting as much as Kai was. Her ice armor had completely melted into a pool of water than she was laying on. Instead, she wore the undergarments women usually wore under their dresses. Her face was covered in black ashes. Kai's weapon had completely burned away, and Elsa's weapon lay next to her, broken and shattered. Kai won, and that was for sure. Still, Kai looked like he just survived a war. His navy blue tailcoat was singed in many places. It looked like he just picked it off of the streets.

"Are you okay?" Kai asked Elsa.

"Yeah." She said, panting. "Fantastic. Never been better. You?"

Kai managed a weak chuckle. "I'm better than you, that's for sure. So, I'm stupendous."

Elsa's panting died down a little but in no way was it gone. "So..." She said. "It looks like you won."

"Oh," Kai said, "I couldn't realize that by the way you can barely move."

"Don't be sarcastic with me, Mr. Yeager." Elsa said.

"I thought you were supposed to call me The Great Kai." Kai pointed out.

"We never agreed on that." Elsa replied.

"Oh, like we never agreed on no powers?" Kai asked.

"Hey," Elsa said, "I gave you a home and a job. You owe me."

Kai shrugged. "I didn't need you to get this."

"Oh," Elsa said, "like there are queens out there willing to put up with and marry you."

"You know me." Kai said. "I have my ways with the ladies."

"Right..." Elsa said.

Kai then offered his hand to the downed Elsa. "Need some help?" Kai asked.

Elsa exhaled and smiled, knowing that the worst was over. She thought about the things she wanted to do after she got herself cleaned up. As queen, she actually had more free time than people thought she did. There weren't many perils in Arendelle which she had to deal with. Kai, however, almost had no free time whatsoever. His was a twenty four hour job, and those times where he was allowed rest, he took advantage of it. He did his best to manage his time so that he spared some of it to be with Elsa and the others. Still, that time spent was very short and Kai cherished every moment of it.

Elsa took Kai's hand and he helped her up. But, as quick as lightning, Kai pulled out his lucky dagger from his pants and put his hand over the back of Elsa's head. He then raised his armed weapon up and pulled her towards him. The flat side of Kai's blade rested on Elsa's throat. She tried her best not to make a sound as that would show weakness to Kai.

"Always remember," Kai said, "the battle is not over until you're sure you won or lost. Even then, do not think your enemy will show you mercy. Do not think they'll ever play fair."

"I won't." Elsa said, a smile on her face.

Kai heard the sound that was usually made when Elsa created an ice weapon from below. Kai looked down and found that Elsa was pointing an ice dagger at his gut, and with the jerk of the arm, she could have stabbed him and Kai would be history. He had taught her well. Kai was trying to teach her to not believe that her enemy will be helpful after a struggle. Now, she just taught him to not let his guard down even after victory. He was proud of Elsa, and she knew it. She waited for Kai to praise her or something of the sorts, but instead, he just took a step back from Elsa, his dagger no longer at her throat.

Kai gently nodded at her. "Good job, princess." Kai said.

"I learn from the best." Elsa said. She then successfully spun her dagger and it dissolved into snow while it spun.

"That, you do, Elsa. That, you do..." Kai said. He then looked up from the courtyard and at the window of Anna and Kristoff's room.

"How'd you guys like the show?" Kai asked them. Elsa looked up at the window in surprise. She had no idea that they were observing the fight. If it were up to her, Elsa wouldn't allow Anna to witness her battle skills. She didn't want to look at all violent in front of her sister.

Kristoff opened the large glass window and poked his head out. He looked down at Kai. "How did you know we were watching?" Kristoff asked.

"Magic." Kai answered.

Kristoff gave Kai an unamused look and raised his eyebrow. Kai sighed, facing the ground, and looked back up at Kristoff. "I saw you two up there even before Elsa and I started to spar."

"Well," Kristoff said, "seeing that climax of yours, I wouldn't call it a spar."

"It looked cool though." Kai said.

"That, my friend, is the truth."

Elsa took a step closer to Kai.

"You knew they were there the whole time and you didn't tell me?" Elsa asked, slight anger in her voice.

Kai shrugged. "I didn't see any harm in watching."

"It's okay, Elsa!" Kristoff said. "We looked away during the scary parts." He joked.

"Oh," Elsa said, sarcastically. "That makes me feel _so _much better, thank you!"

When she looked back at Kai, she found that he was already on his way to the castle. She looked up back at Kristoff and found that he was already gone and the window was closed. It was obvious that their discussion was over and settled. What could Elsa do about it? She decided to just accept what happened and to not hold a grudge on it. That wouldn't have benefited anyone, especially Elsa. She then jogged over to Kai who was a fair distance away from her already.

"Where are you going?" Elsa asked as she walked behind him.

"To get a new set of clothes." Kai answered. "Training is over, princess."

"Well," Elsa said, "what should I do, then?"

"I really can't believe you're asking me this question." Kai said. "You're the great queen of Arendelle. You figure it out." Then, Kai spun around to face Elsa who was forced to stop walking instantly. She almost fell back in surprise but Kai was able to grab her arm and help her keep her balance.

"But," Kai said, "you should prepare for the big day tomorrow... Right after you get that black stuff off of your face."

Elsa's eyes widened and she rubbed different places on her face with two fingers. "Where?" Elsa asked.

"Everywhere." Kai answered.

She then looked at her fingers to find the dark ash completely covering them. She decided that it would be best for her to freshen up before all else. She also felt like she should spend some more time with Anna. It had been a crazy week for everyone, and Elsa had not spent some quality time with Anna yet. Perhaps the two would have tea together? Walk together? As long as Anna was with her, Elsa would be content.

"What about you?" Elsa asked. "What're you going to do after you get changed?"

"I'm going to do what I do best." Kai said, turning around and walking towards the castle. Elsa, this time, did not follow.

"And that is?" Elsa asked, forced to raise her voice.

Kai then smirked and turned back towards Elsa. He thought about how awesome he was going to deliver his next line.

"Fight foes like a badass." Kai answered.

He expected Elsa to say something that would encourage or discourage him. Instead, she asked another question.

"Like a what?" Elsa asked.

Kai sighed. "Forget it."

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><p>Author's Note: This chapter was out a little earlier than I usually post chapters now... which is a good thing. Hope you guys liked it. It was longer than other chapters in this story. Please, write a reviewcomment for this chapter. Your feedback is always appreciated and is very helpful to me. Feedback tells me what I'm doing wrong and right. Also, I promise that the heroes will soon be introduced to the villains and their struggles will be epic. Please, stay tuned for the rest of the story. If I ever do something that you guys won't like in a future chapter, please don't be that person who quits reading just because of it. I promise, everything will work up to the end.

Ciao.

**QOTD: Who is the best and worst villain that I have used and why?**


	9. A Home Lost in Time

**A Home Lost in Time**

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><p>Mara saw no need to lie about her true intentions to Deren. His heart was just as black as hers, if not darker. Actually, it was impossible for anyone, not just Deren, to be more dark, more evil, or more vile than Mara was. She was pretty much the personification of darkness itself. Some may see her and think of her as the devil's spouse, and Mara wouldn't argue with whoever called her that. Instead, she would take it as a compliment and do horrible and painful things to them. It was kind of a hobby for her to cause misery and suffering to others. But, she couldn't help it. It was in her nature to do those things, and it wasn't like she could change herself. Even if she could change herself, however, she wouldn't do it. She loved herself so much. Sure, the current body she was using wasn't as great as her previous one, but it worked well nonetheless.<p>

Mara told Deren everything he needed to know about her past. She told him about her old friends, the elementals. She told him about the power of her staff and the eternal shadow. She even told him about her fall and resurrection. He only gave half-an-ear when he was listening to her story. He didn't care much about any of the magical details. The thought of Kai's blood plagued his mind. As long as Kai got what was coming to him, Deren could care less about what would happen to the world… even if he was one of the idiots who lived in it.

Deren knew the limitation of his alliance with Mara. Once she had Kai's blood, and Deren had Kai's life, then their alliance would expire. Deren was promised safety if Mara was truly able to recreate the world in her own, dark image. Deren didn't care about safety. In fact, he loved the danger. Danger always got his blood pumped and his focus to increase. Living in a dark world might be exciting for him. There was no one in the world he actually had positive feelings for. All of that negativity thanks to years of being mistreated as a child. Deren knew that he would enjoy watching the world burn for what had the world done to him? The world, in the way Deren saw it, had to pay. He thought that the world could not mistreat him and get away with it. What Mara was doing was karma in Deren's favorite form: revenge.

It didn't take long or much at all for the duo to get to Arendelle. Mara had manipulation magic that helped them a great deal. Some minds were weak enough for her to just control, although temporarily. They got passage on a ship and were on their way to Arendelle in no time. But, they still had to bide their time. They were not yet ready to execute their plan and they still needed to work out some details on some things. First, they needed a base of operations to work in. Not many places in Arendelle offered that to two intimidating, powerful strangers.

Mara, however, knew exactly the place they needed to go. Only Mara knew that the land currently known as Arendelle was the most prominent location during the dark age of the past. The war was fought on Arendelle land. Blood was spilled on Arendelle soil. It all started there, so naturally, it would end there. Mara remembered one place in particular. A place she called home long ago with her old allies. That was where they decided to leave her on her own dark crusade. Mara was sure that it was vacant. The only four people were the elementals and Mara, and the elementals were all dead. Only Mara knew the location, and she knew that it would be best to keep it a secret to all but Deren.

The place was an old, hidden temple deep in the forest of Arendelle. From the outside, the temple just looked like a rock that was so rich with moss and other vegetation that it a lot like a hill.

The rock stood about fifteen feet high, with a smooth, grey surface showing. Deren and Mara stood in front of the rock. Deren stared at it with unamusement. His dark brown hair was long enough to reach his chin. A lot of it swept over his face, covering the left side of it - the scared side. His black clothes were as menacing as having a brawl with a lion. A lion would definitely be scared of Deren. Deren looked like the type of guy someone would want as backup for a fight, but not someone to invite to a party.

Mara wore her usual pitch black robes which looked impossible to run in. Her long staff was firmly in her hand. Without the staff, she would almost have no power. It was the only thing she had which could control the darkness she could create. She had no idea what would happen without it. She didn't want to find out, and she wasn't going to wait for it to happen if it will.

"Some temple." Deren said, staring at the giant rock. "It's as every bit as grand as you described it."

Mara glared at him. "Patience, boy." Mara ordered.

She then touched the side of the rock with the end of her staff. Deren, whose expectations were as low as can be, waited for a second for something - anything- to happen. Then, the rock startled to rumble and shake. Deren did not back away in fear as most people would have. Instead, he simply just raised an eyebrow to see if he was to be proven wrong. Sure enough, he was wrong. A rectangular piece of the rock, about seven feet tall, slowly separated from the rest of the rock and underground. Now, they could see a staircase inside the rock that led down into darkness.

Mara turned over to look at Deren and smirked.

"Sorry that you doubted me?" Mara asked.

Deren shrugged. "We'll see." He then descended into darkness.

The staircase did not go down long at all. It only took about ten seconds of walking on average to get into another large room. The temple was about two hundred meters wide and that same distance in length. The sides curved so that they made a circle. There were two layers of levels for the room. The upper layer was a platform that was overhanging on the sides of the walls. They stopped about halfway around the circle. The upper platform that went around was like a long balcony almost ten feet away from the walls. Chains hung from different spots on that layer as if the room used to be home to a few prisoners. Stone railings were on the edge of the platforms to prevent any accidents.

The stairs that led to the upper world was connected to the middle of the balcony floor. After that set of stairs ended, it was flat for about ten feet and then there was another set of stairs that led down to the bottom level The level was almost empty and all flat except for an stone table-like alter that was on the end of the room placed on the opposite end of the entrance. From above the alter, many feet high in the air, was a relatively large hole that went through to above ground. That was the only form of light in the room as everything else was pretty much dim. Cobwebs littered everywhere. It was pretty clear that this was the first time in, well, forever that someone had entered the room.

"Whoa." Deren said, his voice echoing throughout the temple. He then stepped off of the stairs that led above and onto the second level. He then rushed down the other large staircase which was about fifteen feet in width and ran down onto the bottom level. Mara had just entered the temple by that time. She took a glance around and compared it to how it looked the last time she was there. Nothing much had changed except for the fact that it was incredibly dusty and filled with webs.

"Welcome home." Mara whispered to herself.

She then walked down the stairs in manner that looked like she was cherishing every single step. She then walked up next to Deren who was spinning his head studying everything.

"We make this our home," Mara said," for now."

"So," Deren said, "when do we start?" He was too impatient to wait another minute. Victory was so close to him, and he could feel it. He could almost grasp it. They had no reason to bide their time any longer than they should. Deren let himself believe that every day that Kai was not dead meant that every day Kai could prepare himself for Deren. But, Kai did believe that Deren was dead, so that meant Deren had the element of surprise on his side.

Mara could see the blood-thirst in Deren's eyes. She knew exactly what he was thinking on doing. She couldn't let that happen, though. Deren had a bone to pick with Kai, but Mara wanted revenge on the ice user most of all. That meant Elsa was her primary target. In the past, the ice user, Eira, was most responsible in foiling Mara's plan although she had the help of the fire user, Kol, and the electric user, Draid. Mara wanted to make sure that Elsa suffer the most, and that meant using Kai. Mara would only let Deren have his way after she got hers, but her plan meant for both to suffer greatly.

"Tonight is our window." Mara stated. "That's when you'll go out there."

Deren nodded. "Remind me again what exactly we're doing."

"In order to get the eternal shadow to work," Mara said, "we'll need the blood of Kai and Elsa as well as our own."

"Yeah? And?"

"Elsa is no fighter, I'm sure." Mara said. "She won't be much of a problem. But Kai on the other hand..." Mara remembered the way in which Deren had described Kai. Mara knew that there was no way that she could beat Kai in a fight, and Deren had proven himself as an equal strength. But, with Kai and Elsa's power combined, they would easily take Deren. "Kai's a wildcard." Mara decided. "And wildcards are best manipulated."

"How can you manipulate him?" Deren asked.

"Never you mind." Mara said. "Just bring him to me in secret and I'll handle the rest."

"Lady," Deren said, "I'm only here to put Kai in a grave. Why should I give him to you when I can just kill him then and there?"

"You definitely could." Mara said. "But, I have a feeling that you would feel more complete if you continued on this path with me."

"How so?" Deren asked, intrigued.

"Elsa will suffer if you bring Kai to me." Mara listed.

"I have quarrel with the Snow Queen." Deren revealed. He truly didn't. It was only Kai he was after. He couldn't care less what happened to everyone else. They had personally had done Deren no wrong, so he did not need to take revenge on them specifically.

"In this eternal darkness," Mara said, "all will suffer."

That was what kept Deren interested in working with Mara. For those long years of his life, he had been treated differently as if he was a freak by almost everyone he knew. Kai was his only friend and Kai left, leaving Deren alone and helpless. All of this just because Deren was scarred. Deren didn't just hate Kai for scarring him. He hated Kai because he was forced to deal with all of these negative emotions alone. Deren's father was never there for him and he didn't even know his mother. How could Kai do this to Deren?

He believed that the majority of the world was just like those many people who looked down upon Deren. Because of that, he believed that everyone had to pay, no matter how severe the circumstances. He was willing to help bring the end of the world just to get back at a few people, and Deren realized that very well. He knew that was wrong but he did his best to not second guess himself. The path that he chose was already at a point of no return. He definitely could be the hero and stop Mara while her powers were limited, but no one would praise him for it. Not after everything that he has done.

"Fine." Deren said. "I'll stick with you as long as Kai suffers."

Mara smirked. "Oh," she said, "he will. You see, you and I both know that you can't take both Kai and Elsa in at once."

Deren nodded, accepting the truth that he was not that powerful.

"Elsa is easy, but Kai..." Mara said. "He's too resistant and better off-"

"Get to the point." Deren ordered.

"We definitely could use you to bring in Elsa, easy." Mara said. "But, I had a thought. What if the one to hurt her is the one she loves?"

"We use Kai to bring in Elsa." Deren cleared up.

"Exactly." Mara confirmed. "This is the best part: Kai won't know who she is to him, and when this is all over, he'll find out. By then, it'll be too late. He'll need to have the thought of him hurting his loved ones on his mind for the rest of his life."

"The short life I'll give him..." Deren whispered to himself.

"Elsa will be helpless to stop her beloved from hurting her and the others." Mara said. "We'll corrupt him, and she'll feel a pain that she never knew existed."

Deren really didn't care about that last part of the plan. Whether Elsa got hurt or not was not of importance to him. Sure, she froze his heart once a few years ago but that was nothing personal. It was nothing that Deren held a grudge against even if he did turn into ice. Although Kai revived him, the wound was already too deep. Kai letting Deren go free didn't heal anything at all as well. Kai tried his best to be a good person to Deren, but none of it made up for being the villain Deren thought Kai was.

"You really feel strongly about this, don't you?" Deren asked.

"I could ask the same to you." Mara replied. "It would seem that revenge is the only reason you still live."

"Maybe it is." Deren said. "Why does it matter to you?"

"I would lose a very valuable asset." Mara answered, coldly. She did not show any sign of caring for Deren's well being. She need his muscle, and nothing more, nothing less. They were partners, but not at all friends. They had nothing in common with each other except on how they view the world as imperfect. Mara would make it so that it will be perfect in her eyes.

"May I ask," Mara said, "after Kai is dealt with, what will become of you?"

"I try not to think or care about that." Deren said, not fully answering her question. "I'm getting my priority dealt with first, and I'll work out those details later when they're relevant."

"Ah. So you're a man with few ambitions."

"I'm a man with one ambition."

Deren realized how pathetic his life truly was. He had no reason to keep on going after he got Kai out of the picture. His only reason of living is to hurt and torment another person. It was no way to live a true life, but it was a way to survive. He would sometimes ponder if killing Kai could truly bring him peace and internal reckoned that he would have to continue the path he was on to find out whether it will be satisfying or not. Sure, Deren had dreams once. But, those dreams were made a very long time ago, and only an echo of them remain in Deren's head.

Mara, on the other hand, had so much ambitions. She wanted to create the world the way she wanted it to look. The eternal shadow would not take it's effect on people right away, and that's what Mara was counting on. There would be no sun for children to enjoy. No sunlight to grow foods. Soon, everyone would starve to death and die out, suffering in their last years. This was true beauty in Mara's eyes. Mara knew that people's true natures were revealed when threatened with death. Many people were cowards on the inside, willing to do whatever it took to save their own skin. Only a few people were brave under death's shadow, and those people died with dignity.

Mara knew that the people would try to fight back and stop all of this, but she had learned her mistakes from the first war. Only Ludicium, the great sword of light, could stop her and no one alive knew where it was. Mara liked her chances. Under an eternal shadow, Mara's powers were almost godlike. She could raise an army of creatures made from complete darkness - born from the negativity of everything alive. She called them Spawns, and soon, the Spawns will rise again.

That all would go, of course, assuming if everything went as planned. She needed to trust Deren to bring in Kai. She needed to trust herself to make Kai obey. She needed to trust Kai to bring in Elsa. Easy steps to follow. She hoped that Deren wasn't incompetent and failed his task.

Deren seemed to have the same thoughts as Mara because he brought up a question.

"What happens if it doesn't go as smoothly as planned?" Deren asked.

"Elaborate." Mara said, distantly.

"What if I can't bring him Kai?" Deren ased. "I'm not going to lie; Kai's skills are impressive."

"And yours are not?" Mara asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I didn't mean it like that." Deren said.

Mara dismissed that last statement. "If you fight him and fail," Mara said, "then he'll get his suspicions. It'll make our job so much harder than it needs to be."

"I hate it when it's hard." Deren muttered.

"I as well." Mara agreed. "Failure is not an option."

"It never is..." Derek murmured, quietly. "Then, what about Princess Anna and Kristoff?"

"What about them?" Mara asked as of the two mentioned were like annoying puppies.

"Aren't you worried that they might get in the way?" Deren asked.

Mara scoffed. "Not one bit!" She said. She had not personally met any of the two, but she has heard of them. Mara had all of Lilith's memories, and Mara definitely remembered the names Anna and Kristoff being mentioned somewhere. None of the names held any significance to Lilith though, so why should they hold any significance to Lilith. They were merely ants who faded with the other non important ants. But, she had heard a thing or two about both people.

"Anna is just a foolish child who always gets what she wants in life." Mara said. "And Kristoff may very we'll be just as foolish except he has a very unhealthy obsession with reindeers."

Deren raised an eyebrow and gently nodded his head. He had, too, heard about Kristoff's relationship with a reindeer.

"They're no more of a threat to us than an ant is a threat to a lion." Mara said. "Ignore them if you can."

Deren understood. "But," Deren asked, "why me?"

"I beg your pardon?" Mara asked, not sure if she heard him right. It sounded like Deren was questioning her authority. It was suppose to b. very clear to Deren that Mara was the one in control, or has he forgotten.

Deren didn't mean it like that, though.

"I mean," Deren continued, "wouldn't it be quicker and easier if you just did this with me."

"My powers are still very limited." Mara said. "It'll take me a while for me to master the things I can do. Plus, it's best if I remain anonymous. My appearance would be both unsettling and peculiar to those who saw me. It's best if I stay in the shadows for now."

Deren was still unsure of it, but he didn't show it in his face nor did he question her any further. He realized that it would be best for him to just do what she says. She wouldn't have chosen him if she didn't think Deren could get the job done. That was part of the reason she chose him. She mainly needed easy access to his blood. Not only was she getting it, but she was getting his muscle as well. It was like killing two birds with one stone.

"Any more questions, Deren?" Mara asked.

Deren shook his head, knowing what parts both had to play.

"Good." Mara said. "Remember, you leave tonight. Do not fail me."

**To be continued in the next chapter...**

* * *

><p>Author's Note: Yes, I do realize that this chapter was a tad boring, but it was a lot of essential villain exposition. There originally was going to be more for this chapter, but I realized that it would be too long, and I decided to just hold that extra stuff for the next chapter. Also, as a treat to you guys, there's a little bonus at the end of this chapter detailing the origins of a few characters. ReviewComment! Enjoy.

Bonus: The Origins of the Characters

When I first saw Frozen, I told myself that I hated it... mainly because that was normal for a boy. But then, after seeing the movies a few more times, I enjoyed it immensely up to the point where I was begging for a sequel. When I realized that the chances of there being a full length sequel to Frozen was very unlikely, I decided that it was best that if I kept the story alive for myself and you guys through fanfiction. That's why I started writing it.

The first thing I thought about when coming up for a plot for my first Frozen fic was who Elsa's love interest was going to be. I decided that another person with powers would be perfect. Choosing the power was easy; fire. I wanted a cool, short name for this protagonist. A name which was fairly uncommon. I remembered that Kai was a character in the original Snow Queen story, and that Kai was the name of a character from Lego Ninjago who wields fire. There, Kai was born. I also wanted to have Kai's appearance stand out from the appearance of many other protagonists. That's where I asked myself if he should have red eyes. There will probably never be a Disney protagonist with red eyes, so it seemed perfect for Kai. By making him a thug for most of his life, I made him stand apart from all of those goody-good protagonists.

Deren was a huge part of Kai's character. I kind of came up with the name Deren on the spot as I was writing the first chapter of Phoenix Fire. I didn't want to take too much time on his name. Also, I spelled it wrong! It's suppose to be spelled Darren, not Deren. It was too late to change it so Deren just stuck. I wanted Deren to be the anti-Kai, just as strong, but darker. His masked appearance when he was Strife was inspired by Vanitas from Kingdom Hearts.

King Lyre had nothing that special about him. A corrupt King was all I wanted him to be, although he was the main antagonist for Phoenix Fire for the most part. Travis Summers drew inspiration from none other than Hans. A deceptive person who seems sincere on the outside. Props to whomever saw Travis' betrayal coming.

Cade and Lilith... I wanted a character to be both deadly yet seductive, so Lilith was born. I drew inspiration from Marvel's Black Widow for Lilith. For Cade, I wanted someone who was too overwhelming for Kai. Someone who shows Kai that he can't win every battle. Cade was a product of that idea.

And Mara? She was pretty much a hardcore Maleficent. I even tried to mimic their appearances. Her ambitions, however, ware far more dark than Maleficent's.

There will be more OCs in this story, you can look forward to that.

Ciao.


	10. The Calm Before the Storm

**The Calm Before the Storm**

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><p>Elsa, Anna, Olaf and Lena all sat together in the grand table in the great dining hall of Arendelle Castle. The large table was usually used for many dinner gatherings such as in dinner parties and other special occasions. Once in a while, Kai, Elsa, Anna, Kristoff, Olaf, Sven, and Lena would sit around the table and eat their dinner together as one big happy family. But, those events were scarce as of that day because Kai had been working day and night, not allowing himself a moment of rest. He never showed any intentions to show up when he was working on taking down those traders.<p>

Now, Elsa and Anna finally had time to enjoy each other's company, even if Olaf was messing around with Lena very close to them. Anna wore her casual green clothes with her long skirt that went down to her calves. Elsa wore a dress similar to the one she wore during her coronation but without the purple cape and blue instead of green. Elsa sat at the head of one end of the table, with Anna sitting to her right. Lena sat on Anna's right, and Lena was followed by Olaf. Lena had her full attention focused on Olaf who was making funny faces. Anna was relieved to finally have some time to relax – not having to deal with the burden of taking care of a child.

Olaf pinched Lena's nose and pulled his hand away.

"I got your nose!" Olaf said, playfully.

Lena giggled and reached her arms out at Olaf. Lena grabbed the thing closest to her; Olaf's nose. The baby yanked it away from Olaf. A popping sound was made when the carrot was taken from its home in the snow.

"Ah!" Olaf yelled. "My nose! My nose!"

Olaf tried desperately to try to get the carrot back, but it seemed to be Lena's favorite toy. Lena shook the carrot in her fist, hoping that it would do something spectacular. Lena expected it to make a sound, but the carrot produced none at all. Dissatisfied by its playfulness, Lena stuck the tip of the carrot into her mouth and started to bite it. Olaf screamed in horror. The entire time, Elsa and Anna watched the two interact with each other. Elsa had wide eyes with her mouth making a small O, and Anna was raising an eyebrow.

"Sweetheart," Anna said, "give Uncle Olaf the carrot back, please."

As expected, Lena didn't respond. Instead, she put the carrot deeper into her mouth so that it was over her boulder teeth. Olaf almost fainted when Lena chomped.

"Anna," Elsa said, "she's a baby. I highly doubt she'd understand a word you're saying."

"Right…" Anna realized.

Olaf finally grabbed onto the end of his carrot and pulled it out of the baby's mouth. By that time, it was way too late. The tip of the carrot was almost completely chewed off. It was wet with saliva and filled with teeth marks. The tip, about two inches long, was almost completely bitten off from the rest of the carrot. Only a small piece of carrot was keeping both parts together. It seemed, however, that that wasn't enough. The carrot tip broke off of the rest of the carrot and fell to the floor.

Olaf gasped in horror. Tears almost began to run down his head, from his eyes.

"Sorry Olaf." Anna apologized for Lena. "She's just baby - she doesn't know any better."

"I suppose..." Olaf said.

That was why they liked to keep Olaf around. As optimistic as Anna was, Olaf was usually even more so. Only under very few occasions did Olaf not look at the bright side of things. Olaf was the personification of joy and happiness. Not even Santa Claus was more jolly than Olaf was. They always needed to have someone like Olaf around so that he can be a light in the dark. Everyone shared this optimism to an extent which was not as high as Olaf's. Kai probably had the least optimism out of everyone. He doesn't look on the bright side of things, but he looks at things like how they are. He doesn't sugar-coat anything for himself. It was amazing how Olaf and Kai got along so well with each other.

"Olaf," Elsa said, "I think Kristoff may have extra carrots for you."

Instantly, Olaf jumped out of his seat, noseless, and ran out of the room in a hurry. He was eager to "repair" himself. Olaf's nose was important to him. Not only did it make him a complete snowman, but it was somehow a symbol of his friendship with Anna. She gave him the nose as a gift, and it was a gift which he could never repay.

Anna was too focused on Olaf that she failed to see that Lena was still playing with the carrot. Out of respect for Olaf, Anna knew that she couldn't let Lena defile Olaf's old body part. Anna gently took the carrot away from Lena and placed it far away from her on the table. Anna expected Lena to start crying which was exactly what happened. Wailing and tears came out of Lena rapidly. Anna tsked and picked up Lena.

"It's okay, Lena." Anna said. "Mommy's here."

Anna put Lena's head on her shoulder and gently rocked Lena, humming peacefully. Anna glanced at Elsa who was smiling with adoration. After a minute, Lena closed her eyes and began to sleep. Anna then kept holding Lena as she slept. Anna knew that Lena slept deeply. Almost nothing could wake her up when she slept. That was unusual for many people, but Lena was very special it seemed.

"Wow." Elsa said. "You're really getting a hang of this parenting stuff." She then took a sip of tea from her teacup that was placed directly in front of her on a little plate. The tea was somewhat hot. Elsa hoped that she wouldn't freeze the tea or make it cool when her lips touched it. That happened quite a lot when she didn't have full control over her powers. Luckily, she did now, and she sipped the tea with no worries.

"It only took a year for me to completely master it." Anna said, proud of herself.

"I'm sure Kristoff helped quite a lot." Elsa added.

"When he's not out obsessing over reindeer and collecting ice, yeah." Anna countered.

"Some people have jobs, Anna." Elsa said.

"I'm pretty sure collecting ice isn't as hard as being a parent." Anna said.

"I wouldn't know..." Elsa said, then taking a sip of her tea. "Hey, ice is rare out here." Elsa joked.

Elsa was kind enough to not create artificial ice just so Kristoff could have a job. Elsa offered to let him retire, but he apparently enjoyed being out there in the ice, mining it with Sven.

Elsa looked at how peacefully Lena slept in Anna's arms.

"They would be proud." Elsa said.

"Who?" Anna said, asking for clarification.

"Mom and dad." Elsa said.

"Oh." Anna said.

The subject of the old king and queen was a touchy one. Anna was forced to deal with their deaths alone as Elsa was still keeping her distance. It had not at all been easy on either of them. One moment, they were saying goodbye to their parents, the next, they found out that they were dead. It wasn't the happiest time in their lives. They did their best to not talk about the two, but that was inevitable. One way or another, the topic would come up and it would become awkward for everybody. What they wouldn't give to have their parents back. They failed to cherish their time with them, and the sisters regretted it. The best thing for the two to do was to protect the legacy their parents had built.

"Do you ever think about them?" Anna asked.

Elsa took a sip of her tea. It felt colder than usual. "Sometimes." Elsa answered.

"I..." Anna managed to hold back a tear. "I wish they were still here."

"We all do." Elsa said.

"Shame." Anna said. "They didn't even get to meet Kristoff or Kai."

"Uh..." Elsa said. "I'm not sure if they would feel positive about you with a guy raised by rocks and has a strange liking for reindeer."

Anna managed to giggle. "Oh," she said, "like they wouldn't have a problem with a sarcastic guy who tends to shoot first and ask questions later?"

"Hey," Elsa said, "I never said they would approve of Kai."

Elsa spoke the truth. The old king probably wouldn't have loved the idea of his daughter being married to a man who was a thief for most of his life and who tended to burn a lot of things. But, the king wasn't there to say no. That was both a good and bad thing for Elsa. Good because he couldn't tell Kai to stay away from his daughter and bad because he wasn't there.

Elsa sometimes wondered what it would've been life to be a normal child. She was never offered that luxury because of her powers. Sure, she was a princess, meaning she had it all. But, she had no one to enjoy life with for many years. She was only ever close to Anna for a short few years, and her parents were too busy focusing on helping Elsa with her powers than to actually treat her like a normal daughter. Elsa used to be someone with everything, but nothing too. The past few years gave her a great change in life. She considered them to be some of the best in her life, although she faced many predicaments such as the kidnapping of Anna and the threat of war with the Southern Isles. Other than that, it was smooth sails.

Anna, on the other hand, had luxuries that Elsa didn't have. Anna was not confined to her room all the time and she explored a lot, enjoying her own company. Anna didn't have many friends growing up, but that didn't stop her from enjoying life. Anna was always so energetic and cheerful, while Elsa was so stationary. The two seemed to be opposites to each other, but they were sisters and best friends.

"Pity," Elsa said, "they never even met their own granddaughter." She chin pointed to Lena who was still peacefully fast asleep in Anna's arms.

"Do you think they would've been proud?" Anna asked.

"I _know _they would've been proud." Elsa answered. "They always were."

Anna smiled and tilted her head at Elsa. She was happy to know that her parents loved her when they died. She couldn't bear it if their relationship ended on sour terms. For Elsa, she saw her father as more of a mentor. Anna didn't know the exact details of the relationship between her sister and her parents, but she didn't want to reopen old wounds, so she found it best to stay silent. Anna figured that to keep both girls from shedding any tears, the topic wold have to be changed. Something easier to talk about would've been preferable.

"So," Anna said, "where's Kai?"

Elsa closed her eyes and took a sip.

Uh oh, Anna thought. She wasn't sure if she made the right choice changing the topic from their deceased parents to Elsa's fiance who has commitment issues.

"Three." Elsa said, counting down. "Two. One."

The entrance to the dining hall slammed open. Anna turned her head towards it to find a middle age man running wearing torn clothes and carrying a sack. Anna had a hard time determining what the sack contained, but she figured it out when she saw some glittering jewelry jumping out of the sack as it bounced behind the man. His face was beading with sweat. His clothes were steaming as if they had just been burnt. He had a scared look on his face like he was running from a monster. He ran through the dining hall, next to the large table. He passed Elsa and Anna, completely ignoring them. Elsa paid him no attention, but Anna was still dumbfounded as to what was going on.

When the man reached the door on the opposite side of the room from where he entered, Kai came rushing into the other door. Kai had a fresh new set of clothes, completely identical to the one he ruined a few hours earlier.

"Come back with that, thief!" Kai exclaimed.

The burglar shrieked and quickly pulled the door open as Kai ran through the dining hall after him. The burglar managed to run out the door when Kai had just reached Elsa and Anna. Kai put his hands on his knees and bent down, trying to catch his breath.

"Hi." Kai said to the girls. He then roughly grabbed Elsa's tea and drank the rest of it in one gulp. Some tea trickled down the corner of his mouth. Kai wiped it off with his sleeve and put the cup back onto Elsa's plate.

"Thanks." He said. Kai then sprinted off, after the burglar and out of the door.

Anna was still awestruck. She turned to Elsa. "How- how did you-"

"Whenever Kai chases a few criminals through the city," Elsa said, "he tends to accidentally chase them into the castle. This happens every other day."

"But," Anna asked, "how did you know they would come in here in the count of three?"

Elsa shrugged. "Lucky guess. Like I said, it happens often."

"Well," Anna said, "how come I've never seen this?"

"Wrong place wrong time." Elsa answered. "But, now you've seen it. Ta da!"

"You best get used to it then." Anna said.

"I already am." Elsa replied. "I've been used to it for a while now. Seeing how I'm getting married to the man tomorrow, I figured it was time to build some habits."

How could Anna forget? The grand wedding was tomorrow. No way in the world was she going to miss it. Elsa was there for Anna's wedding, and now it was Anna's time to return the favor. He hoped that everything would go perfectly before, during, and after the wedding. Everything was to be set up early in the morning the next day. Kai and Elsa also decided that it would bring good luck to their marriage if the two refrained from seeing each other before the ceremony that day. That was one way Anna and Elsa's weddings are different. Also, Kristoff volunteered to walk Elsa down the isle to which she gladly accepted seeing as how her father was not there.

"I hope it'll work out fine." Anna said.

Elsa took one more sip of her tea and whispered to herself "Me too."

* * *

><p>That night, Elsa and Kai slept together in the same bed in Elsa's room. They figured that they wanted to make the last night of their engagement special. But, Kai was too exhausted when he entered the room. He instantly crashed into the bed, face first, and drifted off into sleep right after he changed into his sleepwear. Elsa was right next to him when it happened. She face palmed, upset that she and Kai would not be able to spend some quality time together. This wasn't the first time that this happened to Kai. It actually happened fairly often. He took his job too seriously, and sometimes Elsa regretted even giving it to him. She knew Arendelle needed a protector, though, and Kai was most fit for the job.<p>

That night was a full moon which beautifully illuminated the entire city. No one was out and about. It all rather seemed fairly quite. As usual, no guards were on lookout both on the interior and exterior of the castle. They had all retired to their homes for the night, resting themselves for the next day. They needed to be extra alert on the wedding day. When there's weddings, there's a lot of people, and when there's a lot of people, there are a lot of problems.

Speaking of problems, those were usually scarce during night in Arendelle. Kai made sure to strike enough fear in the heart of criminals so they would be scared to commit crimes in both day and night. In order to do that, he had to stay up during night for about a month. That was not a very fun time for Kai at all... Just like his dreams. No, not dreams. Nightmares.

Kai found himself standing in the middle of the top layer of Elsa's old ice palace which was destroyed almost two years ago. He was wearing his navy blue hooded tailcoat as usual, but no weapons were strapped to his waist. Kai turned his head and found Cade was standing at the edge of the icy balcony connected to the room. The railings were completely destroyed. Cade had a blank expression on his face as if he was in some sort of trance.

"Cade?" Kai asked, trying to see if he was thinking straight.

Cade then slowly raised his right index finger at Kai. Kai took a step back, as if expected Cade to shoot a projectile at him. But, Cade did no such thing.

"It's all your fault." Cade said to Kai.

Cade then extened his arms and fell back, off of the balcony.

"No!" Kai yelled. By "no", he didn't mean to defy what Cade had just done. He meant it to deny Cade's claim that it was his fault. Kai knew better, though. He truly believed that he had caused Cade's death. Not a day went by that Kai did not think about what happened. It haunted him. It poisoned him.

Kai ran to the balcony and looked over the edge to see if Cade was still visible. But, Cade had completely disappeared. No way enough time ran by that Cade could completely disappear out of sight. Kai turned back to find Cade standing where Kai used to be standing. This time, an angered look was on Cade's face.

"You killed me!" Cade yelled, his words echoing in Kai's mind.

"No!" Kai said. He didn't directly kill Cade, but he might as well have.

Kai shot a blast of fire at Cade, but before it could even touch Cade, Cade transformed. His body glowed white and until he was just a white silhouette. The figure then grew shorter, more slender, and the hair grew longer. When the white cleared, Elsa stood in Cade's place. It was too late to stop the fire. The fire blasted Elsa straight in the chest. Instead of being knocked back, the fire consumed her body. She let out an agonizing scream which was as painful to hear as it was to watch her burn.

"Elsa!" Kai exclaimed. He then ran to her in hoped of helping her. But, when Kai grabbed her shoulders, Elsa crumbled and dissolved into a pile of black ash in front of Kai's feet. It was still burning.

Kai began to weep. It wasn't like him to cry, but he did it there. He couldn't believe what he had just done to Elsa, accident or not, he felt responsible. Then, rough rams grabbed Kai's shoulders and pulled him back from the ash. He was then pulled up in a manner that made it obvious that whoever was doing it to him did not care about his well being. Kai turned his head to find that it was Deren who had just picked him up.

"Deren?" Kai asked.

Then, materializing behind Kai's old friend, was Cade. He was formed from complete shadows and black. Deren took his hands off of Kai's shoulder and grabbed his left arm and held it tightly. Cade did the same with his right arm. Kai struggled to get out of the hold, but in no way was he strong enough to beat the might of his two old enemies. Two people he had wronged were now getting their revenge. Kai was about to order them to let him go, but something from shadows materialized right in front of Kai.

Kai's eyes widened when he saw who it was. It was... Kai. This second Kai, however, had green eyes instead of red. He featured a maniacal grin.

"Who- who are you?" Kai asked the doppelganger.

The green-eyed Kai raised his hand and a sword materialized in it.

"Your darkness." The second Kai answered. He then proceeded to stab Kai through the chest with the sword.

That was enough to end the dream for Kai. Kai let out a quick scream, not loud enough for anyone outside the room to hear, but loud enough to wake Elsa. Kai found that he was sweating throughout. He only wore his sleeping pants and had no shirt on. He looked down at his torso and found it completely unharmed despite a few small scars. He was panting wildly like he had just ran a few miles nonstop.

Elsa groaned and turned her body so that she was facing Kai, who was sitting upright. She wore a purple nightgown to sleep that particular night. She wiped her eyes and sat up next to Kai.

"Hey." She said. "Something wrong?"

"No." Kai answered quickly. "Everything's fine." He took a second to process what had happened in his nightmare.

"You know," Elsa said, "by the way you're sweating like a pig and let out that yell, it's pretty obvious you're lying." She knew how to read people well. It wouldn't take an expert to know that Kai wasn't telling the truth.

"I just had a bad dream." Kai said. "Nothing to worry about."

"Kai," Elsa said, "you've had bad dreams before. I've never seen you wake up like this."

"Well," Kai said, "I guess this one was just a little worst."

"A little?" Elsa asked.

"Let's not get into details, okay?" Kai pleaded.

Elsa put her hand on Kai's chin and moved his head towards her. She gave him a serious look like she wanted something from him.

"Is everything alright?" Elsa asked.

Kai sighed. He saw no need to avoid talking to her or even lie to her. She was going to be his wife, and he needed to trust her with many things. This may be one of the times his faith in her would be tested. So, Kai decided to share some things with her.

"No," Kai answered, "everything is not alright."

"What do you mean?" Elsa asked with a concerned look.

"Everywhere I go," Kai continued, "I see Cade."

"Cade's dead." Elsa said.

"I know!" Kai said. He must have sounded like he was going crazy. "It's like an echo. He just sticks around, repeating something. I'm always looking at him, and thinking about how it was my fault that he died. It's a failure that I have to live with. I wish I could live without it."

"Kai-"

"Also," Kai interrupted, "I work myself to protect the one thing I _can't _live without. That's you, Elsa."

Elsa stared at him with sorrowful eyes like she pitied him. So far, she had been a good listener. She had no idea how she was going to help him with all of this pressure, though. She just waited patiently for Kai to finish speaking.

"Elsa," Kai continued, "I can't sleep. I can't sleep a full night at least. I always wake up with a nightmare repeating itself in my head. I can't remember the last time I've had a good nights rest."

"Kai," Elsa said, "you don't need to deal with this alone. We can help you. Me, Anna, Kristoff, even Olaf are here for you."

"Oh, believe me, I know." Kai rebutted. "You have no idea how many times I've heard that from everyone. Sure, I'm a man with everything! So why can't I sleep."

Elsa was at a lost for words. She truly felt sorrow for Kai, really, she did. She wanted to show him how much support he really has, but she had a feeling that it would do no one any good. Their support wasn't something that could kill the thing haunting Kai. For that, Kai needed to do it on his own. He needed to find his own way to deal with it.

"Okay..." Elsa said, not wanting to argue with Kai any longer. "Do you need anything?"

"Yeah..." Kai answered. "I... I need a drink." With that, he got up and got changed into his standard clothes.

"See you tomorrow." Kai said to Elsa as he opened the door and left Elsa alone in her room.

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><p>Kai sat on the roof of the castle, looking at the moon shining down on him. In his hand was a wine bottle which was almost empty. Kai knew that what he was doing was dangerous, but he was too preoccupied wrapping himself around his own thoughts than to care about his well being. He almost forgot that his wedding was tomorrow. At that moment, he was enjoying his bottle of wine.<p>

Kai tried to sip the wine only to find that it was empty. His fist clenched around the bottle. The one thing that was keeping him happy at the moment was gone. Kai wasn't drunk, though. It usually took way more than one wine bottle to make him feel a little woozy. But, he was still angry with the bottle. Kai threw the bottle down at the courtyard and lay on his back. The rooftop was slanted, so he was able to lay diagonally.

Kai failed to notice that there was no sound of glass breaking from the bottle. Kai was about to close his eyes and try to get some rest when a light flashed below him. This light, however, was very strange. It was blue like electricity. Kai sat up and looked down at the courtyard below him. He found that there was nothing that was producing any blue light. Kai thought that it was just his eye playing tricks on him. But, before Kai could look away from the courtyard, a blue ball of electric light was thrown from the other side of the gate that connected to the stone bridge. The ball landed inside the courtyard and popped. Electricity danced around the small area where the blue ball had landed for about to seconds.

"What the hell?" Kai asked himself.

Kai descended to investigate.

**To be continued in the next chapter...**

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><p>Author's Note: Sorry this chapter took a while to come out. I was kind of busy with other things. The next chapter will be more excited, I promise. Most of you will probably already guess what's going to happen. By the looks of it, this fic will probably be done within February or March of 2015. Then, my Percy Jackson fic will be released in April or May. Ciao.<p>

**QOTD: ****Which song would be a good theme for Kai in Phoenix Fire? **

For me, the song "What I've Done" from Linkin Park fits well for this question. The song is pretty much about wanting to erase one's past and start anew because of what they've done. This applies to Kai because he regrets what he had done during his time as a Bandit and seeks a new life.


	11. Ghost - Part I

Author's Note: Hi guys! I've decided to not praise the winner of the QOTD anymore because I'm just too lazy and I forget a lot. Anyway, enjoy the chapter!

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><p><strong>Ghost - Part I<strong>

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><p>Kai landed inside the courtyard with a thud. It was so silent that he could hear a pin drop. For a moment, he looked up at the large gates to see if another small volley of electric balls would come at him in the courtyard. Surprisingly, none came at all. That made Kai even more curious as to what in the world it was. He has never before seen something so bizarre like that. He started to question himself whether there was actual balls of lightning or if it was all a part of his imagination. If that was the case, Kai wouldn't be surprised that it was. He had been seeing things - things that aren't necessarily normal to see. He tried his best to keep himself from going crazy.<p>

Kai wanted nothing more than to just walk back and take his place besides Elsa on her bed. But, he knew himself better than that. He knew that it was unlike him to just walk away from a mystery or a fight. Kai always felt a sense of accomplishment after he got to the bottom of things. This was probably the most odd thing he has seen in a while, and Kai has seen crazy things. Crazy was a good word to describe and summarize Kai's entire life so far. He has seen it all from small and giant talking snowmen to an artificial winter caused by an ancient artifact back in his home country, Teranhall. Now that he thought about it, he realized that most of these unnatural things involved snow. Courtesy from Elsa, no doubt.

Before Kai took a step closer to the gate, he turned his head in a full three hundred and sixty degrees to see if there was anyone else in the courtyard. The courtyard was huge with two fountains sitting parallel to each other. The entrance to the castle was right behind him. Kai found no one there but him. Not a single window was cracked open in the castle. Of course, not many people would've occupied the castle. The only residents included Elsa, Anna, Kristoff, Sven (who was fast asleep in the stables), Olaf, Kai, and a handful of servants. Many servants left to their own homes during nightfall. Other than that, there should not be anyone else inside the castle. No one was watching Kai. He wasn't sure whether that was a good or bad thing.

His sword and dagger were strapped to his waist. He hated being apart from his weapons. They were as useful to him as his hands were. They also were very special to him. Kai's dagger was his oldest and most fond weapon. Kai's sword was given to him by Elsa, and it's original owner was her late father. The sword was definitely a stronger sword than most of the blades Kai used. The way it was crafted was careful. It was made for royalty. Kai was no royalty, not yet anyway, yet he had a feeling that he wielded it more than any other person would with a royal sword.

Kai approached the door with haste, but he made sure to walk carefully. He had a feeling he may not like what he was going to see on the other side. He didn't want to alarm anyone by waking anyone up. But, he was sure that that would not happen. Sound would not go through the walls well. People inside the castle would be deaf to Kai. If anything went wrong, he was on his own.

Kai pressed his ear against the gate to see if he could hear anything from the other side. Yet again, it felt like he could a pin drop. It was incredibly quite. It was almost eerily quite. He had a mind to just turn around and walk back to the castle or perhaps even back to the roof where he could be at peace, wrapped up in his own thoughts. But, Kai had enough experience to know that basing things off of sound alone was unreliable. As a Bandit, he used this tactic many times to commit quick and easy steals from others. Kai then unlocked the gates and gently push the door on the left side open. He readied himself for a scare, as it was too much of a perfect opportunity for one.

He looked out at the stone bridge and found that no one stood at the other side of he gate. The plaza, which was usually buzzing with people, was empty as well. The candles were turned off inside the homes of the citizens. A pin could be heard throughout the entire city. Heck, even the entire countryside. There was no one awake for miles. Kai squinted to make sure that he wasn't missing out on any details, but even that didn't make things better. He was alone. The electric balls must have been a trick his eyes and mind were playing with him.

"I must be going crazy." Kai told himself.

But, before Kai could turn around, he felt a force on his back. He instantly knew that someone's foot has just kicked him around the center of his back. This kick was oddly powerful. Kai flew back from the gates and onto the bridge, landing face first somewhere around the middle. He felt a pain on his head. Although he couldn't see, he could feel it. He could see small drops of blood fall off from the bridge of his nose and onto the stone. He had a nasty cut on the bridge of his nose and his forehead was bruised. All of that was just from one kick. Other than that, there seemed to nose be any other damage done.

Kai slammed his fist on the ground hard and some pebbles vibrated under his arm. He then pushed himself up with both hands quickly. The blood that was on the stone smeared on his had, therefore removing the evidence of his bleeding from the stone.

Kai groaned weakly. Oh, now he was angry. He couldn't believe anyone would dare sneak up on him and attack him like that. It was obvious that whoever it was was looking for a fight, and if it was a fight they wanted, then Kai was glad to deliver. Only two people in history have ever given Kai any trouble in battle, and those two people, as far as Kai knew, were dead because of their own ambitions.

Whoever this mysterious assailant was, though, it was obvious that they were physically powerful. It would take a lot of strength and force to kick Kai as far as the assailant did. Kai had a feeling that he was dealing with someone of brute strength. Kai, for one, did not have outstanding physical strength. Sure, he was stronger than the average man with a better body build too, but he did not match Kristoff in strength. Kai rellied on his skill, speed, and powers during battle.

He reckoned that the person was using the electric balls to lure and distract Kai while he or she snuck around for the first blow. Kai had to admit, it was a very clever plan.

"Alright, asshole," Kai said, "you want to play?"

Kai pushed himself up and off of the ground. He then wiped the dirt off of his navy blue coat and brown pants by patting them with his hands. He wanted to make a good impression on whoever it was that wanted a beating from him. Kai turned around to face his assailant. The shadow of the castle's outer walls concealed most of his body. In the moonlight, only his leg was visible. Kai automatically knew it was a male because of the look of the leg. He wore brown boots that went up about halfway on his calves. His pants were beige, and Kai could see that he was wearing a tailcoat though he could barely make it out. The tailcoat was black, matching the shadows. His face was completely concealed in the darkness.

"Hello, old friend." The man said. Kai recognized the voice although it seemed like forever since he had heard it.

Kai's curiosity was winning him over. He needed to know who the person was at that instant.

"Step into the light." Kai ordered the man.

The stranger obliged. He took two steps forward, standing on the bridge, in the moonlight. Kai's eyes widened. He couldn't believe it at all. It's been nearly two years since he had seen the face of his enemy. The right side of his face still had the same scars and healed blisters. His brown hair seemed to be a bit longer than it was last time Kai saw it. But, there was no mistaking the murderous look in his electric blue eyes. He had his hand resting over a black handled sword strapped to his waist.

"Deren..." Kai said, taking a step back in disbelief.

"Surprise." Deren said, without enthusiasm.

Kai recalled the last encounter he had with Deren on Arendelle's head ship, The Royal III. After Kai was shot in the shoulder by Deren, Deren was struck by lightning and fell off of the crow's nest of the ship. Kai was also pretty sure the sea consumed Deren's body in the storm. There was no possible way he could have survived all of that. Yet, here he was, facing Kai once again.

"But you-" Kai said.

"Died?" Deren suggested.

"I saw you get hit by lightning." Kai continued. "The fall! The sea!"

Deren closed his eyes and shrugged. "Looks like you're not the only one that's not hard to kill."

Kai wanted all of this to be fake. No way was this real. But, if it wasn't, how did Kai get kicked all the way to the middle to the bridge. There was no one else there besides Deren. Was it possible that Kai propelled himself that far? He feared that insanity would take hold of him quicker than he thought it would. But, first, instead of worrying about that, Kai needed to get rid of Deren. It's just an illusion, Kai told himself, a trick of the mind. He then took a step closer to Deren and stood there, confidently.

"You can't be real." Kai said. "It's impossible."

"Oh," Deren chuckled, "like you've never done the impossible?" Deren then raised his arm at Kai and shot a blast of blue, hot lightning at Kai. Kai, of course, was completely oblivious to Deren's new abilities prior to this encounter. Kai had no time to react. He widened his eyes in surprise instead. That was a horrible move. A waste of a move. The blast hit Kai in the chest, sending him flying back to the end of the bridge on the opposite side of the castle. Pain erupted in his chest. Both on his skin and within. Instead of dispersing, like Kai's fire did when it hit someone, it was as if the lighting crawled threw his skin and had a party inside his chest. The clothes around where the lightning hit were blackened and steamed. Kai feared that he was immobile, but he was able to get up and get his bearings together. The pain soon subsided, but Kai never forgot the feeling.

Kai wondered how in the world Deren could do that. Never before has Deren used such abilities. Kai wasn't even sure it was possible to get powers without being born with them.

"How...?!" Kai asked. He was at a lost for words. "How did you-"

"You and Elsa are not the only one with special powers, either." Deren added. "You think you're a force to be reckoned with? You have no idea who and what's out there, do you?"

"Why?" Kai asked. "Who're you talking about?"

"I think it's better I say no more about it." Deren said. "The less you know, the better."

"Wow, Deren." Kai said. "I wouldn't take you as someone who follows orders."

Deren's fingers clenched around the handle of his sword. He wanted so badly to strike Kai down where he stood. Sure, it would take a few sword clashes, but Deren had the conviction to kill Kai. He would not be refined in battle. Kai, on the other hand, had a moral code he followed. He would strike at Deren, but he would be too careful to not make any fatal blows. Kai was afraid to stab someone deep, but as long as it wouldn't kill them, he would sleep well at night.

"Why are you here?" Kai asked Deren, demanding an answer. Kai was completely over the whole "Deren's back!" phase. Now, he just wanted to get answers. It didn't take long for Kai to process the fact that his old friend and current enemy was still alive and breathing. The only thing Kai had trouble dealing with was that Deren had powers which Kai had never known of.

"I'm here to settle a score." Deren told Kai.

Deren then held out his own palm in front of him and extended his fingers. A blue ball of electricity materialized in his hand. Deren tossed it in the air and caught it like it was a toy. He then squeezed the ball in his hand and clenched his fist. The ball seeped in between his fingers and then dispersed in his hand. Electricity danced and swirled around his closed fist. Kai had a feeling that he did not want to be punched with that hand. Deren then re-extended his palm and the ball reformed in it. In his other hand, he created a similar ball of lightning. Deren slowly pressed his hands together, squeezing the two balls. He then stretched his hands and arms apart. A stream of electricity was in between both of his hands. Deren then shook his hands and the lightning disappeared.

"Impressive, isn't it?" Deren asked. Kai replied with nothing. He was just thinking about how much of a show-off Deren was being. Deren continued to talk since Kai had no comment on his amazing abilities. "I've been practicing, you know?" Deren said. "For almost two years, ever since you left me for dead."

"You weren't breathing." Kai said. "You had no pulse. We didn't have time to drag you onto the rowboat. I had no idea that-"

"That I was still alive?!" Deren asked, angrily. "That I would become this?!" Deren extended his arms and streams of electricity shot from out of his open palms. They disappeared into the dark night sky. He then steadied his breathing and continue to glare at Kai.

"Deren," Kai said, "you tried to kill me twice. Three times if you count what you did to me about a minute ago. Did you honestly expect me to help you after all the pain you put me through?"

Deren raised an eyebrow and shifted his weight on one leg. He then slightly nodded. "Well... yeah." Deren said.

Kai sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. He felt a sting and forgot that he had a cut there. "The point is you've been a pain to me more than you've been a saint. So don't shift the blame onto me for everything that's happened. You've only yourself to blame."

Deren let out his anger in the next attack he did. He quickly swiped his arm in front of him quickly. A well sized blast of lightning shot toward Kai about the size of a melon. This time, Kai was expected it. He provoked Deren, and he knew Deren was not one to let that go unpunished. Kai knew that if that blast hit him in the right place, it may be a fatal blow. He wasn't going to let that happen. There were still people to protect and people to fight.

Kai shot a similar sized blast of fire from his hands at the blast of lightning. The two flew at each other at an incredible speed. When both met, they instantly dispersed and made a show of small fire and lightning that drifted down like dust.

"How did you get you're powers?" Kai asked, shooting another blast of fire at Deren.

Deren engulfed his hand in lightning and smacked the fireball when it was close, instantly dispesing it. Deren didn't even feel the heat.

Mara told Deren a possibility of his new-found powers. She believed him to be the modern version of her old enemy, Draid. Deren felt that he shouldn't tell Kai everything, just things he needed to know. But, in no way would it help Kai in the battle.

"I had the ability inside me the whole time." Deren said. "That lightning strike freed it." He then shot a spear shaped bolt of lightning at Kai. Kai sidestepped as it came closer, but he made the mistake of trying to grab it as it passed. When Kai wrapped his hand around it, pain erupted in Kai's hand. Usually, things like that would burn people. Kai was immune to burns. But, this was a completely different, indescribable sort of pain. The closest Kai could make to describing it was a hundred needles being jabbed into his hand at once. Kai took his hand away from the bolt and shook his hand. The bolt dispersed as it passed Kai.

Kai knew that it was only a matter of time before the two of them drew their swords and began to fight that way. It would not be the first time that the two fought like that. But, every time they fought with their swords, there never seemed to be an official winner. There was always something else that interrupted and ended the battle. Kai hoped that this would be the last time he would have to face Deren. He hoped, though, that that didn't mean he had to kill him. Kai saw himself as above killing. He refused to stoop down to Deren's, Cade's, and Lilith's level. But, there were many times where Kai considered it as an option. If the time came and he had to do it, Kai would do it.

Kai shot a volley of fire balls at Deren which flew towards him from above. Deren swiped his arm and a shot of lightning blasted each fireball, dispersing them, but one volley was still making it's way towards Deren. Instinctively, Deren crossed his arms above his head in an X shape. The fire hit his forearms, sending him sliding back on his feet, and his clothes steaming. The fire hurt him a little.

Deren glared and gave Kai an evil look with his eyes. He created the stream of electricity in between both of his hands once again. Kai could have swore that the blue was getting brighter by the second. What that meant, he didn't know for sure, but he had a hunch. It looked like Deren was charging the lightning up, and Kai knew for sure that he didn't want to be within the line of fire when Deren used his attack. Then, something popped in Kai's head. It was a crazy idea which may actually save his life. He could easily dodge Deren's attack, but he knew how anti-climatic and lame that would've look. Besides, he had no idea how far this attack of Deren's would go. It may go to the city and hurt others. Kai couldn't let that happen. Instead, he decided to block the attack.

"You need to fight lightning with fire." Kai whispered to himself.

Kai then extended his arms and pointed them down, diagonally so that were parallel to his hip. Kai then created fireballs in each hand. The flames were getting brighter and bigger the more he charged it. He just hoped that the light wasn't enough to get anyone awake. Soon, Kai's hands were completely engulfed in flames so they both looked like miniature suns glowing with fiery energy. He had a feeling that if anyone but him touched it, their fingers would be incinerated instantly. Kai didn't need this blast to hurt Deren. He just needed it to subdue whatever Deren was doing.

Then, Deren's lightning striked. The middle of the stream Deren made shot a bolt of blue electricity directly at Kai, so fast that Kai barely had time to react. Kai swung his arms together in front of him so his wrists were touching. The two suns fused into one larger one and a beam of fire shot at the lightning. When the two met, flames flew out from the middle. A huge light show was being given. Too bad no one else was there to witness the spectacular sight. Kai and Deren did their best to put as much energy into their beams as they possibly could. Deren was even sweating. Kai grit his teeth as he fought.

"Give up your crusade Deren!" Kai ordered. His voice was barely audible from the fire and lightning.

"Not until I'm standing over your corpse!" Deren countered.

"My time has not come." Kai said.

"Oh," Deren said, "it will, sooner than you think."

"No." Kai defied. "I still have a reason to live. _You_ do not. There are people I need to protect!"

Deren's eyes widened. Of course, he thought to himself. How could he be so wrong in his approach to take Kai out. Kai has become too soft and caring, not the Kai Deren once knew. But, he prayed that that would be in his favor. Deren had to make Kai believe that he was attacking his heart.

Deren quickly let go of his stream. Kai was so surprised that Deren had just given up that he too let go of his beam. Unfortunately for Deren, the remainder of Kai's fire blasted him in the chest and sent him flying into the courtyard of the castle. Kai ran across the bridge in hopes of getting to Deren, hoping that he was still alive. Kai stopped in his tracks when he saw that Deren was slowly getting up. Deren stood in the middle of the courtyard, his clothes somewhat burnt. Kai stood in front of the open gates, relieved that Deren was alive.

"I've had enough of you." Deren told Kai. He then turned to face the castle. "I think it's time to pay your friends a visit."

"If you touch them," Kai threatened, "I'll send you straight to hell."

Deren shrugged and started to walk to the castle doors.

Kai unsheathed his sword and charged.

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><p>Author's Note: I hoped you guys liked the chapter. I'm deeply sorry that it didn't contain as much action as any of us hoped. When I was writing it, I found that I had gotten to about 3000 words at one point, and I realized that the chapter would be much too long if I added some more sword fighting. As many of you know and noticed, I like to elaborate and describe my action scenes well. But, at least you guys got some nice lightning verses fire action.<p>

Also, just a heads up, I'm going to start writing the next chapter a little later meaning it'll be up a little later because I just got my copy of Assassin's Creed: Unity from online, and I want to devote my weekends to playing it. As some of you may know, Assassin's Creed is my life. I love Assassin's Creed more than I like Frozen. I may have a review for the game up soon for those of you who are interested.

Anyway, let's get back to talking about fanfiction. Please review/comment on this chapter! I'm trying to break the number of reviews I have for The Coming Storm. That's, like, over 170 reviews. Can we do it?!

For other projects, I may stop this story for a little during Christmas and 1 or 2 holiday themed chapters will be posted in this story. After that's out of the way, I'll continue with this story. My next series will be a Percy Jackson/Heroes of Olympus story that will be up in 2015. I have the entire story played out in my mind, and for those of you who're fans of the series should definitely check that out. I'm pretty sure it'll be a roller coaster of feels (God, I hate that word).

Ciao.


	12. Ghost - Part II

**Ghost - Part II**

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><p>Kai's eyes were filled with determination. His teeth were clenched together. His hand was tightly wrapped around the handle of his sword. He was not going to let Deren lay a finger on anyone he cared about. Deren was a dead man if he does so. The day that Kai would let anyone hurt them is the day when he would forsake them, and he would never forsake them. Kai knew that the smart thing to do would have been to reach for his dagger as well when using his sword so he could dual-wield, but Deren now had new found powers, and Kai had a feeling that a fire would be more useful against lightning than a dagger.<p>

Deren had his back turned and was walking smugly toward the castle doors. Kai knew for a fact that Deren wasn't that blind as to completely ignore Kai's presence. Deren was many things including cunning. Deren was expecting Kai to let out his anger in the charge. In fact, he was counting on it. In battle, Deren knew that if the enemy attacked in fury, their defense and guard would be dramatically lowered. Deren was hoping he could use this to his advantage. But, he also realized that Kai was taught how to fight the same way he was. Kai might be expecting Deren to counter. He would be very stupid if he wasn't.

When Deren heard that Kai was close behind him, he unsheathed his sword which had a black blade like Deren's old dagger, and spun, aiming the hilt so that it would intercept Kai. Kai, however, was smart enough to anticipate this. Before Kai's face made contact with the hilt of the sword by about a foot, Kai dropped and slid on the ground. Kai, as if the world was in slow motion, swung his left arm at Deren's ankles, knocking the lightning user down on the ground, face first.

Kai slid past Deren and ended up a few yards away from the castle doors. Kai jumped back up and spun towards Deren. His legs were slightly crouched in a battle position, and he then swung his sword. His left hand ignited in flames. Kai watched as Deren quickly go this bearings and jumped up off of the ground. Deren's nose stung. He knew that a bruise would eventually form on the bridge of his nose. Deren glared at Kai with murderous eyes. He wanted to badly to just smite Kai then and there. He would have the revenge he longed for for what seemed like an eternity. Deren spun his sword like how Kai would spin his. Kai noticed how slowly Deren spun his sword. There was no way the sword was light. It was for sure lighter than Kai's sword. Kai hoped that factor would go into his advantage. The heavier the sword, the slower you strike.

But, Kai couldn't base his advantage theory from an assumption. Deren knew how to handle swords really well, if not better than Kai. He was probably a master at using his weapon. Kai knew that he shouldn't be too arrogant when fighting Deren. Arrogance was the downfall of countless other people before Kai's time. He knew that he should not make the same mistake as those who proceeded him. But, history does repeat itself.

"You sure you want to do this, Kai?" Deren asked as if he really wanted Kai to just give up.

"I'm through talking." Kai said. He then held his sword up horizontally in front of him. He then put his hand over the tip of the blade and produced a ball of fire. Kai ran the fire down the entire sword up until the handle. By the time the sword was being held, pointing downward, the blade was glowing yellow. Deren, unlike Kai, was not fire or burn proof. If that metal touched his skin, it would not feel good at all. He would be toast... literally. Kai hoped that the heated blade would cut cleanly through Deren's black blade. It was just a hope, though.

"There are two ways on how we finish this." Deren said. "The first option: I beat you until there's almost no breath left on your bloody body and I'll pretty much drag a corpse with me."

"I don't think so." Kai said.

"Second option," Deren continued, "you come with me quietly and this will all be over sooner."

"What about the option where I beat you to a pulp and then warn you to never come close to me and my friends ever again?" Kai suggested.

Deren managed a chuckle as if what Kai said was the funniest thing he heard in a long time.

"Sorry." Deren said. "But that's just not in the cards!" He quickly jabbed his free hand at Kai. A bolt of blue lightning shot it's way towards Kai at the speed of light. Kai was busy trying to decided whether he should dodge or deflect the attack. But, that split second cost him the upper hand. The blast hit him in the chest, and Kai was pushed back a few feet while still on his feet.

While Kai was in pain and trying to recover from Deren's attack, Deren ran at Kai with his sword raised. When he was close enough, Deren launched himself into the air and right at Kai. His sword was raised diagonally to his shoulder. Deren didn't plan on giving Kai a fatal blow, so he would settle with cutting off Kai's arm or something of the sort. But, if he did accidentally kill Kai, then Deren would be just fine about that. Mara would have to continue her plans without the help of Deren or Kai. Deren didn't like Mara enough to keep his alliance with her until the expiration date. Come to think of it, Deren didn't like many people at all. One of the only people he used to like was now his target.

Kai was able to recover faster than Deren would have hoped. Kai, when he was done being a human electricity conductor, sidestepped Deren's attack, making Deren land on the ground and miss his target. Kai then swung the hilt of his sword towards the back of Deren's neck. Kai hoped that that attack would incapacitate Deren for a while assuming it did hit him. But then, Deren did the most surprising and most extraordinary thing possible; he dodged. Deren fell forward onto the ground, his hands holding him up from landing face first. He then kicked his legs out, hitting Kai in the stomach and pushing him back. While Kai staggered, Deren pushed himself back up and took quick steps towards Kai.

Deren raised his sword up and prepared to swing down at Kai. The hilt of the handle was meant to hit the area between Kai's neck and left shoulder so that Kai would be greatly hurt. But, as Deren swung down, Kai caught Deren's left arm with his left hand. Kai did his best to force Deren's arm away, and Deren did his best to push forward. Kai, whose right hand was free, dropped his sword and reached for his dagger. Kai knew that his next move could very much kill Deren, but it didn't matter to him during his current predicament. Kai was thinking of self defense, and besides, Deren was a pain in Kai's posterior who was much better dead to Kai than alive. But, Kai promised himself that killing was not the way. Kai made sure that he would just stab Deren so that he would avoid any important organs.

Deren's eyes moved towards Kai's right hand. Kai, who noticed that Deren was fully aware of his intentions, grabbed his dagger as quickly as he could and jabbed it to the side of Deren's lower torso. Deren quickly grabbed Kai's hand and the dagger handle and gripped it as hard as he could, trying to keep it away from his body. But, that didn't stop the tip of the blade from impaling Deren slightly. It stung Deren, but it didn't bother him much.

"Stand down!" Deren ordered.

"Oh sure," Kai said, straining, "I'll gladly do it after you do."

Kai then remembered that he had fire powers. Kai ignited his left hand, the one where he was holding Deren's arm back from, on fire. Deren clenched his teeth together so that he wouldn't scream. He wanted to keep their battle quite more than Kai wanted to. Deren couldn't let anyone know about his attack. Then, Deren remembered the powers he had. Deren created electricity which danced over his left hand, which was holding Kai's right hand and dagger. Kai tried to ignore the pain which was being inflicted upon him. But, Kai knew that Deren was in great pain as well. The fabric around Deren's arm started to burn off. Kai thought it was a matter of who would break first.

Deren then kneed Kai in the stomach as hard as he could. Kai bent forward in pain, and his flames died out, leaving most of Deren's right arm completely bare of any clothes. Kai dropped his dagger which fell onto the ground with a "clang" sound. Deren then raised his leg and kicked Kai back hard on his chest. Kai lost his breath and desperately inhaled air in hopes of regaining it. Deren then slashed his sword at Kai's face from Kai's left. Deren knew that from his distance apart form Kai, he wouldn't hurt Kai much, but enough to create a gash.

The tip of Deren's sword left a gash in an area right below Kai's left eye and the left side of his nose. Kai could feel the blood already trickling down his cheek. He knew that that was going to leave a scar. Kai had a enough scars on his body as it was, and Deren just added one to the vast collection. This was probably the first noticeable one on his face, though.

"Great," Kai said, "you ruined my face before my wedding."

"I wouldn't worry about that." Deren said. "I would worry about how you're going to leave that girl standing alone in front of the alter."

Kai found that he had no weapons in his hand. Both his sword and dagger lay on the ground next to Deren's feet. Kai tried to think of a plan to retrieve his weapons as quick and swift as possible. Then, he remembered that plans was not his forté. Improvising was his to-go approach. It did him good so far. He just hoped that it was on his side this time.

Kai ran at Deren directly. Deren rolled his eyes, believing Kai's attempts are futile. But, about eight feet away from Deren, Kai dropped to the ground fairly far from sliding strike distance. Deren raised an eyebrow, knowing that there was no way Kai could slide far from where he was. But, Kai stretched his arms behind him so that his body was flat and extended. He shot two streams of fire from both of his hands. Kai launched himself forward on the ground towards Deren's legs. Deren, who knew not to make the same mistake again, jumped out of the way. But, he allowed Kai to grab his weapons after he stopped the stream. Kai jumped off of the ground with both weapons in hand.

Kai then took a large step, almost a leap, towards Deren and swung his sword down. Deren blocked the attack by holding his sword horizontally in front of him.

"You're a stubborn little bastard, aren't you?!" Deren exclaimed.

"Ask anyone!" Kai agreed.

Kai scraped his sword to the side of Derens', smacking it's hilt. Deren's sword then swung down diagonally, parrying it's user. Deren's heavy sword tapped the ground, but before he could completely hold it up, Kai smacked Deren in the mouth and nose with the hilt of his sword. Deren took a few steps back in great pain, covering his nose and mouth with his free hand. When Deren took it away, he found his hand soaked in blood. Kai could see that both his nostrils were bleeding and that there was a cut on his upper lip.

Now, Deren was mad. This was harder than Deren thought it was. He originally thought that he was going to kidnap Kai when he was sleeping, but Kai was already up. Deren had never officially beaten Kai in the past, so he hoped that his training would be worth his while. He had hoped that Kai would be more weak and rusty, but it seemed that that was just not the case at all. Deren knew one thing for sure; never underestimate Kai.

Deren then lunged at Kai with full force. Deren didn't care much if he accidentally killed Kai at this point. Kai had inflicted so much harm upon him already, so he figured that it didn't matter what he did in retaliation. But, if he could, he would spare Kai's life. He was just now less careful about it.

Deren swung his sword at Kai who easily blocked it with his blade. Kai then decided that it was his turn to attack, so he swung the sword at Deren. Deren, instinctively, dodged the attack. The two of them now had both hands on their sword handles. Both usually fought with only one hand on the blade to be swift, but two hands allowed more powers. They both knew that neither of them could access use to their powers when fighting that way. It was a risk both were willing to take in order to win.

Furiously, the two swung and blocked attacks at each other. The blades seemed like they were moving at the speed of light. From afar, the swords looked like silver and black whips just clashing against each other. It was miraculous how both were able to see the others' attack and manage to block it in under a second. That was probably thanks to the fact that the two were trained under the Bandits, with King Lyre teaching them all he knew.

As a young man, King Lyre of Teranhall was a ferocious warrior who no one was equal to. But, as he grew older and his hair turned white, his body started to weaken, not allowing him to wield a blade like he used to be able to. But, he was still able to teach Kai everything he knew, and Deren, who was known as Strife at the time, was able to shadow Kai's techniques from afar. Though the two knew the same general moves, Deren relied much on power while Kai on speed.

After a few seconds of blade clashing, one clash forced the two to slide back a few feet. Each let out a battle cry as they stepped forward and swung their blades as hard as they possibly could. When their blades clashed once again, Kai proved to be the more superior during that little scuffle. Kai's sword smacked Deren's' right out of his hand, sending it flying and sticking onto the ground.

Deren tried to reach another weapon only to find that there was none. Now, it was getting personal for Kai. Kai dropped his sword on the ground and stepped closer to Deren. Kai punched Deren hard in the gut, forcing Deren to lean forward and let out the saliva inside his mouth. Kai then punched Deren's face, following it by another steel punch in the stomach.

"Back on the ship," Kai said, punching Deren's right jaw with his left hand," you made me lose three months of my life!" Kai followed that by punching Deren's left jaw with his right hand. Deren's face was completely bruised and swollen. Blood ran down his nostrils more forcefully. Kai punched Deren's stomach once again, and this time, blood spat out of Deren's mouth and onto Kai's arm.

Deren, before Kai could manage another hit, grabbed Kai by the shoulders and head butted him. Kai staggered back in pain, holding his hands over his forehead. Deren, while Kai's arms were up, jabbed Kai in the rib cage twice, one on each side. Deren then raised his leg to kick Kai, but when he pushed out, Kai grabbed Deren's leg and held it in front of him.

Kai raised his elbow and threw it down over Deren's knee, Deren howled in pain, but people around them would still not stir awake. Kai then dropped Deren's leg onto the ground. Deren would've fallen if Kai hadn't grabbed him by the collar. Kai then punched Deren twice in the face with his right arm. For the third attack, Kai uppercutted Deren's chin, and he flew back onto the ground.

Kai looked down at Deren's face to find it swollen, bruised, and bloody. Kai looked at his own hands and found them covered in blood. If he landed a few more hits, he very well might've killed Deren out of rage. He knew that Elsa would never approve of what he has done to Deren.

"What have I become?" Kai asked himself, quitely.

Deren wiped some of the blood away from his face by using his sleeve. He then spit out blood on the ground below.

"How does it feel, huh?" Deren asked. "Being the top dog. Being the top of the food chain."

"Deren," Kai said, "I-"

Deren raised his hands out at Kai. Electricity shot out of both hands and all over Kai, Kai then fell to his knees in pain. Not a single place in his body was not suffering from Deren's strike. All over, sparks of electricity danced. Kai's skeleton was flashing every few seconds. Kai resisted the urge to scream. Actually, he wasn't able to scream. The pain was all that he focused on.

Deren made sure that he was using enough to make Kai suffer, but not kill him. When he felt that Kai had endured enough pain, he stopped the lightning streams. Kai's entire body was smoking. His clothes were slightly tattered. His eyes were having trouble opening. Then, Kai blacked out and fell forward, face first.

Deren smiled, proud of himself. He then struggled to get up. His knee was in pain, but it wasn't broken. He limped over to Kai's body and heard small, slow, and weak breaths. Kai was alive, but very much incapacitated.

"So much for top of the food chain." Deren said.

Deren then looked around the entire courtyard. He was able to see small drops of blood here and there all around the place. It didn't take long for Deren to get to them and smear them off of the ground with his sleeve. By the end of it, his sleeve was soaked dark red. The two shed blood more than he would've thought. He then noticed that Kai's sword was laying on the ground. Deren limped over and picked it up. He noticed tons of scratches all around the blade. The sword was obviously used many times. It almost looked like it was used daily.

Deren limped over to Kai's body and strapped the sword to his side. Deren then pulled something out of his pocket. It was a small black marble given to him by Mara, she instructed him to throw it, and wherever it landed, a way to Mara he would find, or a way for Mara to reach him she would find. Deren threw the marble a few feet in front of him, and a large, black, void like doorway appeared. Deren couldn't see what was on the other side. All that was visible was the black nothing. Deren then picked up Kai's body and held him in front of him.

Deren took a step closer to the portal with Kai in his arms.

"All right, Kai." Deren said. "Say hello to the world's reckoning. Let's hope this works."

With that, Deren stepped through the portal which instantly disappeared when he was completely through.

The courtyard, under the moonlight, showed no signs of any battle that had taken place there. For Arendelle Castle, the rest of the night was spent in peace. But, everyone who resided in there had no idea what had just happened, nor did they know how they would be affected. They had all lost a great ally, and an even greater friend.

Kai was taken by the enemy.

**To be continued in the next chapter...**

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><p>Important: If you're a fan of the series, please read throughout the entire author's note and I implore you do not skim it.<p>

Author's Note: Hey guys! Hope you guys liked the chapter, as always. Please write a review/comment to let me know what you think! Also, I need your guys' honest opinion for something. I just had a crazy idea for another Frozen story in my head which may act as a prequel to Phoenix Fire. That was heavily inspired by the plot of Assassin's Creed: Rogue. I feel the need to write it down as a fanfiction for you guys, but I feel like my Frozen series should be finalized with this story. But, this idea of mine is really interesting. I'll explain it in further detail below. I really, however, want to retire writing Frozen fanfiction and focus on other things such as Percy Jackson fanfiction. I just want to move on to different things. What should I do?

This prequel Frozen story of mine will be a prequel to Phoenix Fire but a sequel to Frozen, taking place in the one year gap between the two. What if Kai wasn't the first one to betray the Bandits? This story's main protagonist will be a completely new character who is a Bandit, and a colleague to Kai. Kai will make an appearance in the story, but not as a protagonist at all. He will, instead, play the part of the main antagonist as he was still siding with the Bandits. This story will show a completely different point of view on the characters, especially Kai. Strife/Deren, King Lyre, Elsa and Anna will also make an appearance in the story. This story will also have the most OCs I have ever created.

I only tell you guys this much information now because it's an idea which may not fly. At this point in time, I feel like I'm forcing myself to write Frozen stories, and I loved writing Phoenix Fire because it was fun, but now, it's become less a hobby and more of a job. It's not my greatest wish to write this, but if you guys really want it, I'll do it for you. If I do write it, my Percy Jackson fic will be up in June or May 2015 for sure, and that'll be finished early 2016 since it's going to be long.

But, hey, it's up to you guys.

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><p>Pros of writing it:<p>

It will be a great untold chapter in my series

Ties in perfectly with Phoenix Fire and will explain how Lyre got the Conduit

It'll make you see the characters in a different way

It'll explain in further detail why it was so easy for Kai to choose to leave the Bandits

It'll be the darkest, most emotionally sad and an exciting installment in the series

It'll be shorter than The Coming Storm because I'll probably just have one exposition chapter and the rest will be the main plot.

It'll show the friends Kai had as a Bandit

It'll probably be from a first person POV (a first for the series)

It'll show themes such as betrayal, sorrow, regret, honor, debts, loyalty, and hurting the ones you love so you can do the rigth thing. Some of these are themes never before seen in my stories.

Cons of writing it:

I'm really tired of writing Frozen fanfiction

I imagine that it won't be as fun for me to write as Phoenix Fire was

If you like Kai the way he is, you won't want to see him as an antagonist

It delays the other fic which I really want to write

Although Kai and Elsa both make an appearance, they won't have any interaction with each other

There will be no romance whatsoever

Some people may think the series is as good as it is and should be left alone after this story.

It won't be much of a Frozen fanfic since it almost has no story elements related to Frozen

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><p>It'll pretty much be Frozen meets Assassin's Creed: Rogue, so I hope that gets people excited. So, please, in the reviews, tell me what I should do or PM me. That pretty much is the QOTD. Vote yes or no!<p>

**QOTD: Should I write the Frozen fic detailed above or should I move onto other projects?**

If I don't write the full story, I will undoubtedly put up a very long, elaborate synopsis for the story including long epic dialogue and conversations. Do I want to write this story? I definitely want the story out there, but it's not my greatest wish to actually write it. Plus, only super fans of my fics will read it, and I want more readers than that if I'm going to spend my free time writing it.

Ciao.


	13. Forgetting

**Forgetting**

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><p>Kai woke up, groggily. As he opened his eyes, black spots flooded his vision. In no way could he see clearly at all. He had trouble making out where he was. He was too busy trying to remember what had just happened earlier than to figure out what was happening at the moment. Kai remembered most of his confrontation with Deren. The entire scene played back quickly in his mind. He remembered that he was winning… and he remembered that there was blood. Not his. Deren's. What had he done to Deren? He then remembered standing over Deren, but then he remembered that he was in sudden pain. The lightning had got him.<p>

Kai was bewildered as to how he even got out of that alive. He recalled that Deren didn't want to kill him during that fight, but Kai had forgotten that piece of information while fighting. The fury in Deren's strikes told Kai that Deren wanted to eat him for breakfast. But, if Deren truly did want to kill him, he'd had done so already. The real question was where Kai was at the moment.

It didn't take a scientist to deduce that Kai was on some sort of shrine table. The only light in the room was coming from directly above. He could tell that it was moonlight rather than sunlight. Around him, he could see that he was in a very large temple like structure. It was ginormous with stairs in the middle of the bottom floor that led up to another layer of floor which resembled a railing that wrapped around the side of the walls. On the opposite side of the room from where Kai was at, on top of the stairs, was a small doorway that opened into another staircase that led up.

Kai had a feeling in his gut that that was the way out.

He tried to sit up, but something was holding him back, tightly. Kai looked down at his wrists which were firmly trapped onto stone table. Around each wrist was a line, or thick mist, of a glowing purple energy connected to the stone. Around his hands was a small sphere of the same purple energy which was so tight Kai's hands needed to be clenched in order for them to fit. Kai tried to move his hands, but they were completely immobile. They weren't going anywhere, no matter how hard Kai tried. His powers were going to be useless.

He then looked down at his feet. His ankles were wrapped around by the same kind of magic that covered his wrists and hands. Although he could shake his feet and wiggle his toes, he couldn't lift his leg up, at all. He was trapped, and instinctively, when someone is stuck in a trap, they try to get out. Kai shook his entire body, throwing his chest in different directions. Nothing seemed to be working. He couldn't rip his hands out of the purple chains. Usually, he was fairly strong, but this magic was even stronger. Kai wasn't used to being on the losing side.

"Resistance is futile." said a female voice.

Kai turned to his side, looking at the rest of the room. Out of the shadows came a woman who was wearing black robes, carried a black staff, and had black hair. Kai guessed what her favorite color was. The only thing thing that wasn't black was her eyes, which were green, and her skin, which was unnaturally pale. Kai had no idea who this woman was nor does he think he recognizes her.

"Who are you?" Kai asked.

"My name is Mara." The dark one answered. She was surprised that Kai wouldn't recognize her as Lilith. Of course, Kai has never had any contact with Mara whatsoever. Kai knew her name and the reputation that came along with it, but he had no idea what she looked like. Mara knew that she could play that factor into her advantage. She would waste less time explaining things to Kai and would go straight to what she came there for. Mara knew Kai well, though. Mara had all of Lilith's memories, and Lilith remembered how much Kai was praised. She knew his face, but he could not return the favor. Mara had a feeling that Elsa didn't even bother explaining her physical appearance to Kai. That was fine with her.

Kai had a feeling that Mara wasn't there to let him out. She looked too sinister in her attire. He was once told that looks can be deceiving, but the probability of Mara being an angelic person was not very likely at all. She looked evil, and Kai automatically believed she _was _evil.

"I assume you're the reason I'm in this, Mara." Kai said. He recalled Deren mentioning something about a lady. It was obvious that Mara was the one he was talking about. But, Deren wasn't one to be taking orders. If this woman was strong enough to make Deren do things under her will, then she was more of a foe Kai would've taken her for.

"Very smart, child." Mara answered.

Kai found it odd that she would call Kai a child. She looked no older than Kai did. But, the way she said her words seemed as though she was an old queen talking to a child. How old was she truly?

"You're also Deren's boss, am I right?" Kai asked.

"I have no boss." Deren's voice echoed.

Kai looked to find Deren slowly walking out of the shadows of the room in a similar fashion to how Mara made her entrance. The two scolded each other as Deren approached the stone which confined Kai. Deren stood cross armed a few feet away from Kai. Kai had a feeling he was doing that becasue if he got close enough, Kai might break out of his magic chains and strangle him to death.

"You carried me all the way here?" Kai asked.

"Sure." Deren lied. "Let's go with that."

"Deren has been a very valuable asset." Mara told Kai.

"Or a pawn?" Kai suggested.

Deren didn't respond. He just kept looking angrily at Kai. Kai knew that there wasn't much he could say to motivate Deren to change his mind in what he was doing. It would be pointless just to try. Deren was fueled by hatred for both Kai and the world. There was nothing he loved besides his revenge. Nothing could change Deren from a cold hearted killer into a hero. That was fine for both Kai and Deren. The world had enough heroes anyway who had done extraordinary things. What could Deren possibly do to contribute to that number?

"Wait." Kai said. "Were you guys just standing there with nothing better to do than just watching me while I was out?"

"Moving on." Mara said, avoiding the subject.

"What do you want?" Kai asked. He was pretty sure no one would go through all of this trouble to kidnap someone just to keep them as a pet. He was positive that they wanted something from him. The mystery was whatever it was that they so desired. Together, the two seemed like they could accomplish whatever they wanted. But, if they needed Kai for something, it wasn't going to be very practical like money.

"It's simple." Mara said. "We want you, Elsa, and the entire world to suffer."

Kai had never heard of such a bizarre request before in his life. Sure, most of the people Kai had faced were fueled with revenge and dreamed of suffering. Kai has never heard of anyone who wanted worldwide suffering. Whatever it was, it was big. It was definitely magic related.

"If you waned me to suffer," Kai said, "then why don't you just kill me?"

"You do not fear death." Mara said. "Not anymore, at least. In fact, your daily life includes death defying actions and fights. This danger gets your blood pumping. You do not fear death. You welcome it. You want to show and gloat about how death cannot reach you. I'm not going to kill you. Your punishment must be more severe... and so does her's."

"Her's?" Kai asked. It took him a moment to realize who Mara was talking about exactly. Kai didn't know it, but Mara had more of a vendetta against Elsa than anyone else. Her suffering was a priority. But, by making her suffer, Kai would suffer as well. Mara would be killing two birds with one stone. Her plan was almost flawless. The only variable was the amount of resistance Elsa and Kai may show. Hopefully for Mara, she would be stronger than any form of resistance.

"You touch her, and I-"

"What?" Mara asked. "You'll kill me? You're in no position to be making any threats. Besides, I know your kind. You think you're above taking a life. Trust me, sooner or later, you'll swoop down to our level. Everyone does."

Kai had a feeling that she was right. Kai once knew good people. People he could trust. People who he thought had the same morality level as he did. But, one mistake easily changed their lives. They became the same people Kai feared he may be. He refused to let himself become that. He would rather die than become the same monster.

"We have options on how we can do this." Mara said. "Option one: you go back home with your mind intact and bring Elsa over here."

"Why would I want to do that?" Kai asked.

"So we don't have to do option two." Mara answered.

"And what is that?" Kai asked.

"I have no need to tell you." Mara answered. She knew that if he was expecting it, he would do whatever he could in his power to prevent it from happening. That would make her job much harder than it needed to be, and she liked things easy. Easy things required less effort, and she hated putting in effort.

"Either way," Mara said, "I'm getting what I want."

"And so will I." Deren added.

"So, Kai," Mara said, "what's it going to be?"

Kai looked at Mara directly for a second as if he was thinking about what he could do. He could choose option one and go home and warn the others, but he was pretty sure that Mara had a backup plan in case that ever happened. If she found out, it was for sure that even more people would suffer, especially family. More people didn't need to get hurt. Whatever option two was, it didn't sound good. Neither option sounded good. Kai wasn't going to choose. He spit on Mara's cheek. Her smug smile instantly faded. She wiped the saliva off of herself, but she didn't show any signs of retaliation.

"I'll take that as a no, then." Mara deduced.

"Go to hell." Kai said.

"Oh," Mara said, "trust me, I've been to someplace worse. You deserve as much." Mara then snapped her fingers, signalling Deren to approach. He then raised his fist and punched Kai in the face. Kai's eyes closed immediately after feeling the pain. He then breathed weakly in his unconscious state.

Mara smacked Kai's cheek weakly to make sure that he was out. Kai didn't even move a muscle.

"Now what?" Deren asked.

"We make him forget." Mara answered. She took a step back and held the point of her staff above Kai's forehead. Mara concentrated all of the magic she had and told it to do one simple task; extract. Tiny glowing blue orbs of light drifted up, out of Kai's head, and into the air, forming a large clear sphere near the tip of the staff. It took about a full minute for the blue orbs to stop coming from his head and into the ball. When Mara believed that this would suffice, she took her staff away from Kai's head and grabbed the clear sphere that was floating above Kai.

"What is that?" Deren asked.

"His memories." Mara answered. "Everything he knew and loved is gone in his mind. It's all in here. He has nothing in that mind of his."

Mara held the ball in front of Deren in the palm of her hand. The ball was not very big, but it wasn't very small either. It was about the size of a standard shot-put. Deren looked at it, believing it to be blank, but after observing it closer, he could see different images and scenes playing back to back inside of it. It was everything Kai had witnessed from his perspective. He could see Kai talking to Aiden Cain, the first person to ever betray the Bandits. He saw Kai laying his eyes on the Conduit. He saw Kai's first kiss with Elsa. He saw flashes of the countless fights Kai had been in. Kai's life was literally flashing before Deren's eyes.

"What will he remember?" Deren asked.

"Oh," Mara said, "I left in some important details which are essential for Kai's success."

"Such as?" Deren asked, wanting elaboration.

"How to speak English," Mara answered, "his name, how to fight, and things like that."

"Will he remember anything about Elsa?" Deren asked.

"Of course not." Mara answered. She then put the sphere in a pocket inside her robe. She then patted it, making sure that it was in place. She couldn't lose it just yet.

"Why don't we just destroy it?" Deren asked.

"Because then we wouldn't have anything he wants." Mara answered, as if it were obvious.

She then put her hand over Kai's head and refocused her energy. From her hand, a green mist was formed which crept onto Kai's face, going into his nostrils and seeping through his closed mouth. When Mara was done, she took her hand away and watched Kai as he made strange faces in his unconscious state.

"What did you do to him?" Deren asked.

"I may have taken Kai's memories," Mara said, "but that doesn't mean his nature will be different. I have given him some of the darkness inside of me, and hopefully that's enough to corrupt him."

"Corrupt?"

"He'll be more violent." Mara elaborated. "More unrefined. More dangerous."

"You said hopefully it's enough." Deren said. "What does that mean?"

"He has a strong will, I'll give him that." Mara said. "He will try to resist. We can just hope he loses."

* * *

><p>Kai found himself standing inside a completely white plane. Nothing was there. He couldn't see any walls or roof, assuming there was one. He highly doubted that there was anything confining him there. But, he felt like if he walked one hundred yards one direction, he would still see the same things.<p>

"Where am I?" Kai asked himself.

Then things got dark.

From the distance, he saw darkness devouring the white of the plane. Black nothing swept throughout the white as quick as Kai could comprehend what was happening. He didn't know if it was real or not, but it felt real to him. Kai knew that running would be futile. Fighting back would not be an option. How could he fight darkness itself?

Soon, the darkness had completely passed him and continued to devour the white behind him. It looked like he was standing in black space with no stars. He couldn't see anything around him still. He half expected some random monsters to just pop up and charge at him. Kai realized that if that did happen, he would be defenseless as his weapons were not at his side.

Then, Kai felt a pain inside his gut. Whether it was real or not, the pain felt real. He looked down at his stomach to find the blade of a sword sticking out of it. Blood gushed out of the wound. The other end and the handle was on his lower back. Kai then realized that it looked exactly like his sword. In pain, he turned his head behind him. There, he saw a figure, although it was black and should've blended in with the rest of the dark plane, his silhouette was clear as if an aura surrounded him.

"What?" Kai said, trying to keep himself from screaming.

The shadowy figure then, from head to toe, started to gain colors and look less lifeless. Kai's eyes widened when the shadow was finished shapeshifting. It looked exactly like Kai. The only thing that was different was the evil smile on it's face and green eyes instead of Kai's red ones.

The green eyed Kai leaned forward next to Kai's ear.

"Let the darkness take over." It whispered.

* * *

><p>Kai woke up, gasping for air. His eyes were now green instead of it's usual red. They resembled Mara's eyes, strikingly. It seemed slightly disturbing for Deren. He wondered if Kai adopted Mara's malicious personality as well. He wouldn't be surprised if he did, though.<p>

"Who are you?!" Kai demanded, looking at Mara and Deren.

"The real question is," Mara said, "who are _you_?"

"I'm Kai," Kai answered, "and I'm..."

Kai couldn't recall anything. There was nothing in his memory. He knew he had a last name, but he couldn't recall it. It was on the tip of his tongue, but he was still at a lost of words. Everything in his vast memory bank was cleared. Not a single thing he remembered remained. He tried hard to concentrate on remembering, but he just couldn't.

"Do you remember me?" Mara asked.

"No." Kai said, truthfully. "I can't remember anything at all actually."

Mara smirked. "Good."

Kai then took a closer look at Deren. Kai could've sworn that he'd seen Deren's face before. How could he forget? Still, he had no name that went along with the face. If Deren meant anything to him, Kai didn't know it.

"Have we met before?" Kai asked Deren.

"No." Deren lied.

Kai wasn't sure whether to believe Deren or call him out on his claims. But, he was too busy focusing on other things. Especially who he was and if there was anybody out there who missed him. He wanted to know more than anything who he was. There was nothing more he wanted.

"Let me out." Kai said, referring to his magic chains.

Mara and Deren looked at each other, unsure whether they should oblige to Kai's request or refuse it. If Mara spoke the truth, Kai would be more dangerous than ever before. He was dangerous as it was. But, Mara knew that Kai did not know any better in the moment. What was the harm?

Mara snapped her fingers, and the magic chains disappeared around his wrists, hands, and ankles. Kai then sat up on the stone table, rubbing his head. He felt a pain in a certain spot as if someone had just punched him.

"Let's get straight to business." Mara said. "I have something you want, and you have something I want."

"And what would that be," Kai asked, "Miss..."

"Mara." Mara answered. "That's Deren." She head pointed toward Deren who was standing with his arms crossed and a scowl on his face.

"Okay, Mara." Kai said. "What could I possibly have that you would want. I don't even have my own memories, much less anything else besides the clothes on my body."

"I only need your flames." Mara said.

That was one thing Kai did remember. He looked down at his hands and produced fire that danced around his palms. But, this fire was green instead of it's original bright extinguished the flames and looked back up at Mara who still wore a smug look on her face.

"I need you to do one task for me." Mara said.

"What's in it for me?" Kai asked.

"I know a way which can return to you what has been loss." Mara answered.

Kai knew exactly what Mara meant by this. His heart began to beat faster than it had previously.

"My memories..." Kai whispered.

"Yes." Mara said. "They have been stolen, but I can give them back."

"By whom?" Kai said. "Because I'll find that person and rip their throat out."

"It matters not." Mara evaded. "I can help you with that, if you help me."

"What would you have me do?" Kai asked. He was sort of desperate to get what was rightfully his back. He had just met Mara, but now she was already offering hI'm her help. He knew that it would never usually be that easy. He reckoned he had better take the chance while he had it. But, there were some things even he couldn't do. He hoped Mara wouldn't ask much of him.

"There is someone I need brought here." Mara answered. "A Queen about your age, with abilities over ice and snow, and hair as white as snow."

"Why don't you ask tough guy over there to do your dirty work?" Kai asked. "I'm no ones tool."

"A favor for a favor is all it is." Mara said. "No ones calling you a tool."

"Well, it definitely sounds like I'm being used." Kai said. "What if I refuse?"

Deren then extended his hand out and created electricity which zapped all around his hand and wrist. Kai took it as a threat. He assumed that things weren't going to be in his health's favor if he refused Mara's offer. But, he wasn't going to just sit there and take the pain. Kai was about to create his own fireball when Mara raised her hand out at Deren.

"You may leave." Mara said. "But good luck finding someone out there who will help you with your... problem." Mara knew that there was only one group of people who could hell Kai, but as far as Kai was concerned, the trolls didn't exist. If he ever did pass by them, though, he would just think they were mere rocks.

"I accept." Kai said. "What's the catch?"

"None at all." Mara said. "Just be careful when over there Kai. Those people are the most deceitful you will ever come across. They will say things so you may stand down. They will claim that they know you and love you and that they're your friends. I warn you now that whatever they say is a lie no matter how hard they try to enforce it." Mara knew exactly the things Elsa and the others would say to Kai when they see him. By lying to Kai prior to his mission, he would have his guard way up. They won't be able to convince him of anything.

Mara then took something out of her robes. It was the same black pearl Deren used to summon a black hole for transportation. Mara out the pearl in Kai's hand.

"Use this when you have incapacitated Queen Elsa." Mara instructed. "It will open a doorway to where I am. Just throw it, and wherever it lands, a door will open."

Kai put the pearl away in his pocket and made sure that it was secure and safe.

"Anything else I need to know?" Kai asked.

"You'll find her in Arendelle." Mara answered. For some reason, Kai believed that he remembered the way to the city.

"Remember." Mara said. "Do not trust them."

* * *

><p>Author's Note: Hey guys! Hope you liked the chapter! Write a reviewcomment! The story will get dramatically more suspenseful and exciting from this point on.

Last time, I asked you guys whether I should write a prequel or not. A majority of you guys said I should no write it if I didn't want to, but you all seemed eager to read it if I made it. It'll be based off of Assassin's Creed: a Rogue by a lot. Truth be told, I have not played Assassin's Creed: Rogue yet, but I have played and beaten Unity. I may try to get ACR this Black Friday (Wish me luck that I don't die). I kind of want to write the prequel now, and I might make the PJ fic be my summer project priority.

I've put together a short teaser trailer below for the prequel fic and after reading it, you'll decided for yourself if you truly want to read it if I make it.

(Most quotes are from AC:R trailer. Watch the Assassin's Creed: Rogue story trailer for a good picture) I don't have official names for anyone else besides the main protagonist, Aiden Cain. So, hope you guys enjoy, and after reading this, please tell me if you want me to write the prequel or not.

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><p><strong>Cain's best friend: Cain was a Bandit. He was a friend... a brother.<strong>

* * *

><p>Cain's love interest: You can't be goofing off all of the time, Aiden. You know how much potential Kai sees in you.<p>

* * *

><p>Mentor: I have used the maps to track the artifact there, but I fear the rest is up to you my friends.<p>

* * *

><p>Cain: Kai! You made me slaughter innocents!<p>

Kai: Why would you care?! You're a Bandit!

Cain: The blood of that boy's father is on my hands!

Kai: So what?! It's just a child! Besides, the mission was a failure. We can't go back to Lyre empty handed.

Cain: Is that all you care about? Restoring your honor?!

* * *

><p>Cain: I can't let this happen again.<p>

Cain's love interest: What do you mean?

Cain: Kai has to pay. Someone must make amends.

* * *

><p><strong>Cain's best friend: And now the man I once called brother... is coming to hunt us all.<strong>

* * *

><p>Elsa: You have done my family a great favor, Aiden. My sister spoke highly of you. I expect that you will not disappoint.<p>

Cain: I don't plan to, your majesty.

* * *

><p>Strife: You're not the only one who wants revenge, Cain.<p>

* * *

><p>Bandit: Traitor! Kai will see you dead! You will fail.<p>

Cain: I will kill EVERY last man who defends him if I must.

* * *

><p>Kai: What is it you are doing exactly? Killing your brothers? Betraying me? Hurting everyone you once knew?!<p>

Cain: We don't have the right to worry about their fates.

Kai: The right?! We have the responsibility to protect them! You gave up that responsibility.

Cain: And you gave up the responsibility of being a good leader.

* * *

><p>Cain: Damn it, you're either with me or against me!<p>

Cain's love interest: I cannot be with you, Aiden.

Cain: Then get out of the way.

Cain's love interest: I can't just let you claim Kai's life.

Cain: Don't make me hurt you too...

Cain's love interest: You don't have much choice at this point.

* * *

><p>Elsa: Aiden, whoever it is you're after. This man... He deserves to pay.<p>

* * *

><p>Cain's best friend: You betrayed everyone you knew. You became our worst enemy. And for what?! Because Kai made a mistake?!<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Cain: Someone must make amends.<strong>


	14. A House Divided

Author's Note: I'm sorry this chapter was up a little later.

* * *

><p><strong>A House Divided<strong>

* * *

><p>"Calm down, Elsa." Kristoff instructed.<p>

Both Elsa and Kristoff stood outside of the chapel which was located inside of the castle courtyard. The sun was shining radiant light all across the city as if it knew that the day was going to be a grand one. Elsa wore a beautiful white wedding dress, similar to the ice dress she wore when she lived in her ice palace. Kristoff was wearing a fancy and sophisticated suit, something very rare for Kristoff to wear. He hated wearing fancy clothes. They always felt uncomfortable for him and he couldn't work in them without getting them dirty, which Anna always hated.

The doors were closed in front of them. On the inside would be Elsa's future husband and her sister, along with countless other spectators who couldn't wait to witness the grand, once in a lifetime event. Elsa had not seen Kai at all that day as planned. They didn't want to create bad luck like that. In a minute or two, Elsa would walk into the chapel, holding onto Kristoff's arm. Since her father wasn't there. she felt that Kristoff was the one best suited for the task. Although he didn't think it was a good idea, both Elsa and Anna insisted. It didn't take long for him to accept. He couldn't let them down no matter the circumstances.

Making a half circle around the two were countless other people who weren't lucky enough to get a seat inside the chapel. They all had faces filled with anticipation and excitement. The Queen was finally getting married and would share her power with another. Not only was this a big day for Elsa and her family, it was also a big day for Arendelle and kingdoms throughout. Now, other kingdoms wouldn't have to deal with just Elsa.

The wedding was planned so that Elsa and Kristoff would walk in in a certain time. That way, they would have to spend less time waiting for everything to be perfect and get it down quickly so that the festivities may commence and everyone would dance the night away. It was only a matter of seconds before they would walk in proudly. Elsa straightened her silver tiara, and Kristoff made sure no part of his clothes were wrinkled. He wouldn't want to look messy in front of all of those people.

Kristoff noticed how heavy Elsa's breathing was.

"You're going to do fine... probably." Kristoff said.

"Oh, thanks." Elsa said. "That makes me feel _so _much better."

"Try not to mess up." Kristoff said. "Don't accidentally freeze the chapel or turn some people into solid ice."

"Don't give me any ideas." Elsa said, trying to block Kristoff's words out of her head.

"There's no one in there to be nervous in front of." Kristoff assured her. "Kai doesn't have a choice accept you as you are, Anna will accept you no matter what, Olaf doesn't know any better, Lena can't understand much beyond potty time, and Sven's a reindeer. It won't matter to us if you mess up in there." Then, Kristoff remembered that the chapel would be surrounded and filled by people who he had probably never met before in his entire life in Arendelle. "Of course," Kristoff continued, "there are the hundreds of random citizens who may call for your beheading if something goes wrong, but besides that, there's no one to worry about."

"You always know exactly what to say." Elsa said. She meant it as a joke, but the tone in her voice contradicted the joke.

"Motivational speaking was my second choice for a career." Kristoff said, smugly.

"Funny." Elsa said.

She refocused her attention from Kristoff to the closed doors of the chapel. In any second, the bell would ring because the clock would reach twelve o'clock, and the doors would be open for Kristoff to walk Elsa down the aisle. Elsa just hoped that nothing would blow up in the coming seconds. Stuff blowing up was a normal occurrence when being around Kai. She remembered the sequence of events in which they found this pattern. First it was the fishing business near the docks, then the school, then the bank (while trying to stop some robbers), and he almost blew up an orphanage. Kai was lucky Elsa was giving him free passes all that time.

"Oh," Kristoff said, "I almost forgot!"

Elsa turned toward Kristoff with her eyebrow raised. He pulled out a rose from his front pocket. Surprisingly, the rose was not at all ruined or bent in strange angles. Kristoff must've made guarding this rose a priority. Elsa wondered why he even had the rose out, then she remembered that she was missing something in her hands. She had no bouquet of flowers.

"Here." Kristoff said. He handed her the rose which she held onto with the tip of her index finger and thumb from both hands. "It's not necessarily a bouquet," Kristoff continued, "but it'll be a good replacement."

"Yes." Elsa said. "One flower is good enough to replace dozens."

"Well, if you don't want it-"

"I was kidding." Elsa said. "It's not much, but thank you."

"You're welcome." Kristoff said.

Elsa realized how strange the words sounded, coming out of her mouth to Kristoff. She had just realized how little times she had ever thanked Kristoff for anything. Kristoff had been through so much with and for Anna, and Anna did the same amount of work for Elsa. Without Kristoff, none of this would've been possible. Elsa had to show at least a bit of gratitude and respect for her brother in-law.

"I never got to thank you." Elsa said.

"For what?" Kristoff asked.

"For everything you had done for my sister." Elsa said. "You risked your own life to save hers countless times. More times than I have at least."

"You don't have to thank me for anything." Kristoff rebutted. "You gave me a home, food, a job, and most of all, you gave me your blessing to marry her. I'd say we're even."

"So you're saying my sister is worth a room in a castle, fancy food, and the ability to officially mine ice for a kingdom?" Elsa teased.

Kristoff had no idea how to answer the question. If he said yes, he might be offending both Elsa and Anna, but if he said no, then he would have to elaborate on exactly why and he didn't have time to think.

Kristoff just stood there staring at Elsa with a blank face, unsure how to answer.

"It was a joke and a rhetorical question." Elsa said. This is why we don't hang out, she thought to herself. Kristoff, being raised by trolls and all, had the social abilities of a monkey.

Then, the bells began to ring from atop the chapel. Elsa's heart almost Frozen which was pretty ironic. She took one last deep breath as Kristoff held out his arm for her to hook around. She gladly obliged and hooker her arm around his as well. Kristoff could feel Elsa's shakiness. He gestured with his free hand that it was going to be okay and everything was going to be great.

The doors were to open from the inside by some guards when the bell rang, but no such thing happened. Kristoff assumed that those guards weren't fully informed and initiated on their duty, so he just walked Elsa up to the doors and opened the one on the left hand side. Kristoff pushed the door open and hurried himself and Elsa inside.

Kristoff and Elsa turned their heads to both the right and left. Sure enough, one guard was standing next to the side of each door. These guards were the ones who were supposed to open the doors, but they obviously failed in their duties. But, the look on their faces weren't stern like they normally should be. Instead, they had slightly confused looks as if they didn't know what was going on or what was happening.

Elsa scanned the room. All of the wedding guests that filled the chair had their gazes set on Elsa. Some had raised eyebrows as if Elsa's presence was a mistake. Some had open mouths and were holding their cupped hand over it as if they had just witnessed something spectacular or dangerous or if they knew something was wrong. On the alter stood the bishop clad in velvet red robes. To his left was Anna who was wearing an identical dress to the one she wore during Elsa's coronation. To his far right were Sven and Olaf who was holding the rings on a pillow.

Everything seemed to be in place except for one thing. Kai was no where to be found. He was suppose to be standing near the bishop, but he wasn't.

Elsa dropped her white rose in shock. How could Kai miss his own wedding? He was absent for many things, but there was no way he would be absent for something as important as his own wedding.

"Elsa..." Kristoff said.

"Where is he?" Elsa asked Anna from the opposite end of the chapel.

"We thought he'd be here by now." Anna answered. "I haven't seen him all day."

There was only one logical explanation as to why Kai just disappeared, Elsa thought. He didn't want to handle the stress of being a king consort or he didn't want to suffer the limitations of being a married man.

With that in mind, Elsa turned and walked out of the chapel with tears in her eyes.

* * *

><p>Anna was frustrated. Never before has Anna been as frustrated as she was at that moment. She couldn't believe what Kai had done to Elsa. She believed that Kai was a man of conviction who tried to see everything he does through, but ditching the wedding earlier that day gave Anna a knew look on how she saw Kai. She wasn't sure what they were going to do with Kai anymore. The relationship between him and Elsa was now shattered completely. There would almost be no way for him to recover from his mistake.<p>

Elsa ran straight up to her room right after she found out Kai wasn't coming. Elsa not only locked the door. When Anna pressed her hands against it and knocked a few times, she could feel that it was cold as ice. Elsa had completely froze the door so that there would be no one able to get to her. Anna could hear Elsa's sobs from the other side. She did her best to talk Elsa into coming out and to discuss all of this but to no avail. Elsa wanted to be alone and she wanted no one to bother her. Anna had trouble making peace to this idea as the two grew up, and she was having trouble doing it again because Elsa never usually did this these days.

It was the afternoon when Anna finally decided to just give up. By that time, all of the party decorations were cleaned and put away and the citizens continued with their daily lives, unsatisfied by what had happened. It was going to take a while for everyone to recover. This was supposed to be a big day in the country, but the hype for it just crumbled down like a brick wall.

Anna wanted so badly to just find Kai and chew him out on what he has done to her sister and her family. Anna searched and searched but couldn't find Kai at all. All of his things were still inside his room so it looked like he didn't pack for anything. Anna assumed that he had to be back and face the rest of them at one point, and when he did return, Anna was sure to be the first one to talk to him. To do that, Anna waited inside the courtyard along with Kristoff. She was counting the ways she could completely destroy and crush Kai's body and soul while Kristoff lectured her about something she wasn't listening to. Anna sat on the edge of the stone fountain while Kristoff paced back and forth in front of her with his arms crossed.

Olaf was somewhere inside the castle, possibly taking care of Lena or trying to convince Elsa to come out. Sven was no doubt resting in either Kristoff and Anna's room or the stables. He was upset that he couldn't give the rings to their rightful owners.

"Anna," Kristoff asked, "are you even listening?"

"No." Anna answered truthfully.

"Of course not." Kristoff muttered to himself. Why would he expect otherwise? He had been married to Anna for about three years, and he knew almost everything about her and the way she handled things. He asked himself why he even started to lecture Anna when she had the attention span of a child.

"Sorry, Kristoff." Anna apologized. "I was just thinking about the immense pain and suffering I'll bring down upon Kai when he shows his face."

"You really think you can hurt him?" Kristoff asked. "I mean, he's a fighter."

"He won't hit back." Anna assured herself. "He would never dare hurt us physically. But, it's a different thing if I hit him."

"Do you think that's fair?" Kristoff asked.

"Of course not." Anna answered. She didn't care if it was fair or not. What Kai did to Elsa was unforgivable. Was it fair for Kai to leave Elsa alone during their wedding and not giving a valid or any reason at all as to why he was absent? Anna loved Elsa more than she loved Kai and that was a given. If she ever had to choose sides between the two and there being no other alternative, she would choose Elsa without hesitation. It was only natural, though. Anna knew Elsa her whole life and the day will never come when she would abandon her sister.

"What do you think?" Anna asked Kristoff. Anna spent so much time focusing on what she had in mind that she never once give into consideration what others were thinking of the whole situation. Elsa's thoughts were pretty obvious, though. Anna could tell because of the sounds of crying from the inside of her room.

"What do you mean by that?" Kristoff asked, requiring more elaboration.

"I mean what're we going to do with Kai?" Anna asked.

"Well," Kristoff said, "after I'm done punching him in the stomach, I guess we'll see how things work out. He is the head of Arendelle's guards after all. I'm pretty sure we'll never find someone out there who can do his job just as well as he does it."

"It will be awkward, though." Anna added. "Working with him, I mean."

"Yeah." Kristoff agreed.

Kristoff couldn't help but think about how much bad luck Kai was to them. Kai ruined Anna and Kristoff's first wedding by crashing into it... literally! He then ruined his own wedding by simply not showing his face. Things were never simple around Kai, nor did things ever go right. It was a miracle how Anna and Kristoff's second wedding went smoothly and as planned despite the fact that Kai was present. But, even that event wasn't enough to overlook the fact that Kai was always raising a large flag that said "Hey, bad guys, come and get us!" They should have known something bad like this would happen. It was almost inevitable.

Earlier that week, Elsa promised the castle guards the day off since she thought she was going to be in a good mood and she was quite generous as well. The castle was pretty much vacant except for the royal family and a few servants. Many had already left for home as there was nothing left in the castle for them to clean. The castle felt so empty as it had many years before. Anna hated it whenever it was like this. It reminded her too much of those lonely childhood years.

Anna felt Kristoff touch her shoulder and she focused on her husband. He pointed toward the gates that led to the stone bridge which were currently open. The silhouette of a man was made clear. Anna couldn't clearly make out his features completely, but a few more steps would allow Anna to get a better look on the man. Anna could see that he was wearing clothes very similar to what Kai usually wore. He wore virtually the same navy blue hooded top, but it looked much darker than what Kai wore. It almost looked black.

Anna's eyes widened when she saw that it was Kai. But, she had a strange feeling that something about Kai had changed. Not only did his physical appearance change, but the way he walked and carried himself looked more rough and hardened. Angry almost. He looked pretty much the same except for the fact that his eyes were unmistakably green. It didn't look forest green, but more of a sickish, evil green. He still had the same weapons strapped to his waist. Anna couldn't decided whether that was a good or bad thing.

There were a few more unique features added to Kai. As he got closer, the mark of a large scar was under his left eye and onto the left size of his nose. Something changed. Something big.

Anna stood up as Kai entered the courtyard. He darted his head towards her and glared. Anna took a step forward, but Kristoff grabbed her arm, holding her back.

"Somethings wrong." Kristoff said.

Anna shook Kristoff's arm off, feeling his sense of worry and dread, but she was certain she had to confront Kai. She walked closer to Kai, returning him the glare. As she walked, she crossed her arms as a symbol of her serious tone.

"So, you think you can just leave Elsa alone and just walk in?" Anna asked, angrily.

Kai remained mute and continued to walk with haste towards Anna. She thought this was strange. He wasn't one to ignore a question, even if he was one to ignore a wedding.

"Do you have any idea how much you hurt her?" Anna asked.

"Where is the Queen?!" Kai demanded.

Anna took a step back in surprise. She can't remember if Kai ever raised his voice at her. And his question was so completely strange and out of nowhere. Plus, he usually knew how to find Elsa. What had changed? Anna intended to find out. After she found out what was wrong with Kai, then she promised herself that she would kick him into tomorrow.

"Anna..." Kristoff warned. "I'd back away if I were you."

Naturally, Anna ignored his request. She did that to people a lot. She didn't like it when people told her what to do. She wasn't good at following orders. She wasn't good at doing things in ways that weren't her own. She made it that far in life using that strategy, and she was planning on doing it for the rest of her life.

Kai was about five feet away from Anna, now.

"Listen, mister." Anna said. "You-"

Anna immediately stopped talking when Kai grabbed her throat with his right hand. Anna struggled to breath just as much as she struggled to understand why Kai was doing this to her. He would never dare hurt them under any circumstances. What had happened to him? What had driven him to do this? Anna made choking sounds as he tightened his grip around her neck. He then lifted her up in the air, off of her feet. She kicked as her feet were dangling above the ground. She tried to attack Kai, but she couldn't find the strength to. Her face became blue quickly.

"Do not think I won't kill you, girl." Kai threatened. "It would be my pleasure."

**To be continued in the next chapter...**

* * *

><p>Author's Note: Again, I apologize that this chapter was up extremely late. It has been about a week since the last one came out. I blame that on Thanksgiving Break. I spent a lot of that time doing other things besides writing. I sort of forgot to write when I was given the chance to. Video games were a big contribution to forgetting. I also did get a lot of cool stuff during Black Friday, so staying up all Thursday night and Friday morning was worth it.<p>

About a week or two ago, I went to see Big Hero 6 in theaters, and I personally enjoyed it more than Frozen. It was that great of a movie, so if you guys haven't seen it yet, I would strongly recommend going to see it at your earliest convenience. I also saw The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 as well. I did not enjoy the book as it was so boring, and the movie followed the book really well so I was pretty much trying my best to keep myself awake during the entire movie.

I did buy Assassin's Creed: Rogue this Black Friday, so when I finish playing the game, I'll be set for a prequel fic if I choose to do it. Also, if I did choose to do it, the title will either be Frozen: Phoenix Fall or Rise of the Rogue.

I have finished the main story for Assassin's Creed: Unity, and I've gotten pretty far in the game as far as side content goes. A guest requested I share my opinions on the game, and I promised a review earlier, so here's my review of Assassin's Creed: Unity. Most of you probably won't care or bother to read, but please do so if you care.

* * *

><p><strong>QOTD: How long do you think Kai will keep his antagonistic nature? (I know how long, but do you?)<strong>

* * *

><p><strong>Assassin's Creed Unity Unofficial Review<strong>

Overwhelming. That's one word which I can describe the game by. The game has so much things to do and so much to offer. Way worth the 60 dollars paid for it. But, I found myself doing the majority of the side missions after I beat the game. Like always, you can synchronize view points around the map and by doing so, the content for each region the viewpoint is in is unlocked. I ran around the map the first few hours of the game doing this. However, all of the missions have a difficulty level which encourage you to wait until you're better equipped for it. I found that a majority of the side missions were like this. All I wanted to do was finish the side missions right off the bat, but the game discouraged that.

The map of revolutionary Paris was beautiful and so dynamic. The setting was amazing. But, I don't recall being involved in many historic events like you were in Assassin's Creed III. The protagonist of the story is Arno Victor Dorian, his outfit being the basis of Kai's outfit. This is by far my favorite if not my second favorite Assassin's Creed protagonist. But, he was not strong enough a character to carry the story. The plot of the game was downright bad. It was unfocused and lacked any form of epic scope. It didn't at any times make me feel invested in the story. Also, the main story was very short as well! That was a big downer. The non-linear assassination missions were great though. I can execute people when and how I want them to.

The combat in the game is good and simple, but it was a large downgrade from the previous games. You can no longer chain any kills like you were able to before. This took away the feel of you being a deadly assassin. But, the new climbing system makes up for the combat.

Mission variety is great though. They have missions about solving murders, helping random citizens of France and figures of the revolution, and puzzle solving. These missions alone killed so many hours of my time. The gear system of the game was very good as it did feel balanced. More expensive gear was obviously more powerful. And, you get to choose what kind of assassin you want to play as such as a stealth, ranged, melee, or health assassin. Every piece of gear contributes to one of these factors and none of them were a complete balance of all four.

Final Verdict: 8/10

Pros:

Great graphics

Awesome protagonist

Easy new climb system

Great, dynamic world

Loads to do in game

Cons:

Lame and short story

Combat feels downgraded

Not enough character development

Thanks for taking your time and reading this. Ciao.


	15. Cat and Mouse

**Cat and Mouse**

* * *

><p>"Kai?!" Anna asked. Although when she said it, it came out as more of a squeak than an actual question.<p>

Pain and confusion flowed through her body in equal amounts. His grip was getting stronger around her neck. Although his fingers didn't wrap around her entire neck, it was still a pretty tight grip as the tip of his thumb and middle finger were only a few inches apart. Anna's face became bluer the longer he held her. She couldn't breath at all. His grip refused to let Anna inhale any oxygen whatsoever. She became slightly lightheaded in only a matter of seconds.

Kai had never before even considered to lay a hand on Anna. In fact, he would never consider to lay a hand on any of his friends. He never even hurt Kristoff with a friendly punch to the arm. But now, all of that seemed to be contradicted in a matter of seconds. He wasn't just hurting Anna. He was choking her to near death. Anna's eyes started to roll behind her eyelids as she heard Kristoff run towards them from one of the fountains in the courtyard.

"Anna!" Kristoff exclaimed.

Kai's eyes fell off of Anna and to Kristoff who was running at the two as fast as his feet would allow him to. Kai noticed how Kristoff's fingers were clenched together. Kai was smart enough to know when his enemies were preparing for an attack. If he lost the upper hand, it would only be a matter of time before he completely failed his mission. If he failed his mission, then there would be almost no way that Mara would give Kai back his memories unless she had another task in mind which would be enough to suffice for Kai to regain his lost memories. Kai wasn't sure whether whatever task that would be would be as easy as his current task was, so that meant one thing: he couldn't fail.

Kai loosened his grip and Anna fell out of his hand and out of the air, into the ground. She dropped to her knees and coughed violently, trying her best to regain her breath. But, in that short matter of seconds in which Kai had her in his grasp, she had trouble remembering to breath. As she struggled, Kai shot a large blast of green fire at Kristoff. Kristoff's run had speed, but in turn for speed, he had lost mobility. He couldn't dodge the blast quick enough. Kai's large fireball, which was about half the size of Kristoff's upper body, blasted him straight in the chest, immediately singeing his clothes, and sending him flying back until he hit the wall of the castle next to the doors about fifty meters away from his position of impact.

Anna was able to turn her head at Kristoff in time to see him crash into the wall, leaving a human shaped dent into it. Kristoff's eyelids closed and he immediately slumped forward, first on his knees, and then his face. There, Kristoff lay motionless, with barely a breath in his body.

"Kristoff!" Anna said, weakly. She had no way for sure of knowing whether he was dead or alive. She then turned her head up at Kai. "Did you kill him?" Anna demanded.

"Why would I care?" Kai asked.

"Don't you know who we are?!" Anna asked, her tone sounded almost like a plea. Anna had no idea what had happened to Kai nor why he was acting like this.

"I don't need to." Kai answered. "I'm going to ask you this once, girl. Where is Queen Elsa?"

Anna had seen Kai hostile like this before and demanding answers as well, but she would never suspect that Kai would do this to her. She also knew that Kai would never address Elsa as queen, nor would he address her as "girl". Anna should have known something was strange before she set out to confront Kai. Whatever this was, it was beyond anything Anna has ever seen. She had heard of people with amnesia, but people with amnesia don't usually send people flying into walls and demanding answers. Whatever happened to Kai was not simple amnesia. Something dark was behind it, Anna was sure of it.

But, if Kai could speak, he could think. If he could think, he could be reasoned with. There was no way Kai was not unreasonable, even at this state. Anna knew that she just had to appeal to his reason long enough for him to understand who she was and who the others were to him. Or, at least long enough for him to decide that he shouldn't kill her. Both options seemed pretty good for Anna.

Anna must have been taking a little too long to answer Kai's question in a satisfactory manner. He took out his dagger (which looked exactly like it always did to Anna) and pointed the tip of the blade down at Anna's head.

"I won't ask twice." Kai threatened. "I'm also positive that there are other squealers in this place that will tell me what I want to know. I'm getting what I want no matter what happens. The only variable is the amount of bodies I have to go through."

"I won't let you hurt anyone!" Anna exclaimed.

'Who're you to stop me?" Kai asked.

Anna then kicked Kai's knee while she was still on the ground, forcing him to drop on same knee. Anna quickly but sloppily scrambled up as Kai got out of his kneeling position. He showed no signs of distress or pain from it. Anna wasn't sure whether that was a good or bad thing. She didn't want to harm Kai, but she couldn't just slay there and let him kill her and countless others just to get to Elsa.

"You're trying my patience, girl." Kai said. "You're lucky I've let you lived this long."

Anna took cautious steps back, mostly out of fear, while Kai slowly went after her by stepping forward. His new green eyes gave Anna a murderous looking, a large red flag to her telling her that he would spill blood if he had to. Or, if he wanted to. Whatever happened to Kai, it made him more unrefined. He won't care about any morals he may or may not had prior. As far as he was concerned, he had no morals. He had nothing to hold him down from doing as he pleased to get what he was after. He had no strings attached.

Anna missed the warm reddish eyes Kai possessed before all of this. Sure, red eyes were very uncommon in the world, and Kai was the only person Anna knew who had them. Most people would take Kai's old red eyes as menacing, but he wasn't menacing... most of the time. Something very strange would have happened to Kai if it completely changed his eye color. Anna had never seen anything like this before. Of course, she had said that about herself millions of times in the past.

Anna refocused herself. She needed to talk Kai down. She needed to get past that thick skull of his.

"Kai," Anna said, "try to remember."

"You have no idea how hard I have." Kai said.

"Remember me?" Anna asked. "I'm Anna; Princess Anna of Arendelle. I'm Elsa's sister!"

"Well then," Kai said, "you must know where Elsa is for sure."

Anna wasn't willing to just give up her sister because Kai asked. She had no idea what Kai would do to Elsa after he had her in his grasp. He obviously wasn't going to apologize for not being there at the wedding. Anna guessed that right after Kai held her by the neck. Plus, he was usually supposed to know the castle like the back of his hand. He knew where Elsa usually spent her hours. If he had no idea now, Anna was determined to make sure he won't find out. She was all that's left between Kai and her sister, because if Kai took Anna down, then he wouldn't hesitate to tear down the castle brick by brick to find Elsa.

"Please, Kai." Anna pleaded. "You saved my life about three years ago, remember?"

"Sure I do." Kai said, indifferently.

It was obvious to Anna that whatever she was saying was not affecting Kai whatsoever. He was either being ignorant or... Something clicked in Anna's mind. He was either being ignorant or someone had told him to block out anything someone said. Someone had put Kai up to this, Anna was sure. But, she was probably not going to get an answer if she asked Kai who it was. Kai was loyal to his friends. Anna was thinking that if whoever this person was convinced Kai that he or she was his friend, Kai would not dare compromise anything between them. Some things, such as being loyal, cannot be taken away.

"Kai, you were engaged to Elsa." Anna said.

"I wouldn't dare be involved with that witch." Kai said.

"How could you say that about her?" Anna asked.

"I don't know her!" Kai asserted.

He then shot a blast of fire at Anna's feet, making her jump back. The green fire burned on the stone for a second before it disappeared completely, leaving no trace of it behind. Anna could have sworn that the fire felt hotter than it normally was. Was this enchantment also an enhancement? If so, then Anna was determined not to get blasted just like Kristoff was. She couldn't imagine the pain it would cause her.

"Yes," Anna said, "Kai, you do know her!"

"You think you're telling me what I want to hear?" Kai asked, sure that Anna was just tricking him so that she can save her own skin. He knew exactly when to not listen, and this was one of those times. "What I want to hear is where she is!"

Kai then clawed his hand and began to charge a blast of green fire. Anna could see the ball getting brighter and bigger. She could feel the heat intensify from where she was, and she wasn't necessarily standing next to Kai.

Kai was too focused on his mission that he never once considered one detail which may contribute to Anna's telling the truth: How did she know his name if he never told her. Kai didn't ask himself that question, nor did it cross his mind.

"We're your friends." Anna said, motioning with her hands telling Kai to calm down.

"You're a lie!" Kai said. He then jabbed his clawed arm at Anna, sending the fire ball flying at her. She quickly rolled away as it passed by her cleanly. The ball of fire died before it even hit the wall. Anna was glad of that because she wasn't sure whether the fire was going to burn the castle to the ground or just leave a mark on the wall.

"Tell me what I want to know and I promise I will be less severe." Kai demanded.

"Do you hear what your saying, Kai?" Anna asked. "You would never act like this."

"You don't know me!" Kai exclaimed. He shot another blast of fire at Anna, but she was able to duck just in time for it to fly past her head.

Anna remembered Kai being a better shot than that. He usually shot where he predicted his enemy was going to be rather than where they were. Could it be that Kai shot an easy to dodge ball so that he ensured that Anna would be safe? Could he still be in there? No, Anna thought. Kai was already too far to come back that easily. He must've shot a bad shot because he knew that Anna was his last hope at an easy way to get to Elsa. That was the most logical explanation. But, when in a world filled with magic, logic didn't apply much at all.

"I do know you Kai!" Anna said. "And you know me!"

"I don't know the first thing about you, girl!" Kai said. "You know what? I'm done talking." Kai then took more steps towards Anna, but this time, he was walking much more roughly. He was in a hurry. Anna knew that she didn't want to get in his hold again. Last time that happened, things didn't exactly go her way.

Anna did the first thing her instincts allowed her to do: run. Anna turned and bolted towards the castle doors as fast as she could and as if her life depended on it. In a way, it did. Who knew what Kai would do to her in order to get what he wanted. At this point, anything Kai does would not surprise her one bit. He was already unpredictable as it was as his normal self. He was probably even more so as an evil person.

Anna grabbed a hold of the handle of the large door on the right side and pulled it open. She wasn't used to doing this. Usually, someone did it for her. Someone much stronger than her. So, she opened it slowly but with all of her might. She was able to slip through the cracked open door while Kai was still walking towards her.

Anna looked at the large, grand staircase a few yards in front of her that broke off into two different directions - left and right - that led to the upper level of the castle. Anna ran to the steps, but as her foot touched the first step, she turned her heel to look back at the doors. Surely Kai would've entered them by now. There was no way on earth that he had given up. But, Anna asked herself what was taking him so long. He was faster than her and that was a given.

Suddenly, the doors blew open... Literally! Green fire and wood scatter around in different directions inside the opening hall of the castle. Anna raised her forearm over her head to protect herself from the debris and fire. Luckily, only a small flame touched her forearm and slightly singed her clothes. Then, out of the smoke which was made, the silhouette of Kai could be seen running at Anna.

Anna was prepared to run straight up the stairs, but that meant giving Kai an easy shot as it was easier to hit a target moving forward or backward than side to side. Anna had learned some things about combat from Kai prior to this. Before she can decided where to go, she was forced to roll to the side in a split second to dodge and incoming fireball. Anna dodged her right, and instinctively ran forward towards the door closest to her. She knew that it led to the dining room. On the other side of the dining room should be another door which leads to a hallway with another flight of stairs, Anna thought.

Before Anna's hand could touch the handle of the dining room door, the door blasted open in front of her thanks to Kai's fire. He obviously meant to hit Anna, but he obviously missed. At least now Anna didn't have to open the door on her own. She turned and thanked Kai very briefly, much to his own confusion. He had never had anyone thank him for trying to hurt them before. Of course, he didn't know that for sure. He wouldn't be able to remember it if it actually ever happened to him in the past.

Anna knew that the next run would be a straight one to the other side of the door. She was fairly certain that Kai didn't intend to miss once again.

Kai ran to the now door-less doorway. He entered the dining room and expected to see Anna run straight to the other side of the room to the other door which was about one hundred meters away. But, he saw no such thing. He didn't see Anna in front of him at all. All he could see was the neatly made grand dining table that took up most of the room space. Covering the table was a large white cloth sheet that hanged over the edges and met the floor. Kai slowly walked into the room and continued to scan the area around him. Still, Anna was no where in sight.

Anna, of course, was still in the room. In the short few seconds it took for Kai to run into the room, she used it to go under the white table sheet and under the table. She tried to keep her breathing slow and quite. She tried not to let her fear ruin her advantage. She wanted to scream as loud as she could, but that would surely be the end of her. Instead, she quietly, but hastily, crawled under the table towards the other side of it: the side closest to the door. As she crawled, she could hear Kai's footsteps which echoed through the otherwise silent room. Not another sound filled the air.

"You think you can hide?" Kai asked. "I will find you, girl. You won't make it to the end of the room, much less past me."

Anna found something odd. From under the table, she could see the silhouette of Kai's feet and legs. As she crawled, the silhouettes seemed to walk with her. It was as if Kai already knew where she was and he was just teasing her, still playing cat and mouse. Anna crawled more quickly, but, as she had expected, his feet also hastened with hers. Then, one thing made her skin pale and crawl. Her foot scratched the wooden floor, loud enough for Kai to hear. Anna stopped crawling and Kai stopped walking alongside her.

She expected for Kai to grab her right then and there, but it didn't happen just yet. Instead, a plate, which was already set on the table prior, was pulled off of the table and onto the floor, shattering upon impact. Anna was startled by its sudden shatter, so she gave a little shriek.

Instantly, the part of the sheet to her left was lifted open revealing Kai who was crouching down. His green eyes showing a hint of satisfaction.

"Peek a boo." Kai said, menacingly. "There you are."

Anna then rolled to her right as fast as she could, barely avoiding a fireball which past her heels as she sprung up from out of the ground. The door was only a few feet away, so she decided to make a run for it. As she ran, she could feel and hear Kai's other blasts of fire pass behind her. She was so glad she wasn't caught in any of it. She pulled the door as hard as she could and it swung open. She slipped through as swiftly as possibly and slammed it shut behind her.

Anna ducked to the sound of fire destroying wood. She looked up above her head to find a giant hole in the middle of the door, steaming rapidly. She helped and ran toward the nearby staircase which led to the upper level of the castle. When she was at the top of the stairs, she looked back at the destroyed door just in time to see Kai kick it down with one forceful kick.

"How long are we going to play this game?" Kai asked, looking up at Anna. "We can't do this forever."

"You should remember how persistent I usually am." Anna said. She then strafed to the left as another fireball flew her way.

Anna quickly jerked her head to the left to face the corridor. In the middle of the corridor was a set of white doors larger than the standard room doors in the castle. Anna recognized it perfectly. If she went through there, she would enter a clear hallway with no rooms but littered with windows. On the other end of the hallway should be the doors which led to Elsa's study. Anna silently prayed to herself that that's where Elsa was. Right now, Elsa was the only one who could combat Kai.

Anna sprinted away from the stairs and railing. She quickly turned her head back to see how Kai was faring. She saw him land over the railing and onto the second floor by launching himself in the air with streams of fire. Lucky for her, she was able to enter the doors and slam them shut just as Kai broke into a sprint.

Anna ran as fast as she could through the long corridor which seemed much longer than it usually did. Behind her, the doors blew open and fire erupted throughout the corridor. The windows shattered outward and shards of glass flew. All of this while Anna was running for her life. Anna grabbed the door handle of one side and pulled it open. She dared to look back and found the black silhouette of Kai through the green fire. Anna slammed the door behind her closed and found herself in Elsa's study,

"Elsa," Anna said, "Kai's..."

Empty. Everything was where they were supposed to be. The table was still in the same place with papers stacked neatly on it. The large portrait of their father was still in it's usual position. The large sliding window that led to an outside balcony was shut. Elsa was nowhere to be seen. Anna had a feeling that everything was over. It was only a matter of time before Kai entered the door and she would be trapped.

Before Anna began to cry of fear, the doors slammed open normally, not with fire. Kai walked frisky towards Anna. She could get a glimpse of the green fire in the corridor.

"Nowhere else to run." Kai said.

"You'll need to take me down before I talk." Anna said, defiantly.

Kai gritted his teeth and ran straight at Anna. He hopped onto the table and lunged at her in a tackle. Anna dodged and rolled out of the way to the side. Kai couldn't stop his movement. He smashed through the glass doors and rolled off of the balcony, onto the ground below.

Anna knew that this was no time to check whether or not he was alright. Kai would stop at nothing to get what he planned on getting. It was going to take a lot more than a little glass and a fall to stop him.

Then, Anna remembered one name: Lena. If Kai stumbled upon her...

Anna raced out of the room through the corridor. The flames didn't bother her as they slowly began to diminish by themselves. Anna raced through the castle, through corridors, to find and get to her room. When she saw it, she entered it immediately, fearing that Lena might be in trouble.

"Lena!" Anna exclaimed.

She looked into the room to find it nee't and tidy. The large bed was completely done. The baby crib was placed at the foot of the bed, and Lena still laid there, sleeping happily.

Anna sighed in relief, but that was about to be short lived.

Anna felt a foot kick her foreword. She arched her back as she fell to the ground. She knew that Kai had found her. He grabbed her shoulders from behind and pulled her up roughly. He then slammed her against the wall next to the door after turning her so that she was facing him. Anna felt pain all over her back, especially on the lower neck area.

"You're becoming a pain, girl." Kai said.

"My name is Anna." Anna said, reminding Kai.

"I don't care." Kai said. "At the end of the day, you're just another obstacle ready to be knocked down."

He then grabbed her by the neck once again and gripped her hard enough to slightly choke her but easy enough so that she could barely breath. Kai then pulled her back and held her in the air. His strength was also enhanced, Anna thought quickly. He then slammed her against the wall once again. The same pain refilled Anna's back.

"Where is Queen Elsa?!" Kai demanded.

"Never..." Anna choked out.

Kai then slammed her against the wall again by the neck.

"Where?!" Kai demanded.

"I'd rather die..." Anna said, losing consciousness. "Than give her to you."

Kai slammed her once again for good measure.

"I'm getting tired of this." Kai said.

"You'll never..." Anna couldn't even finish her sentence. She knew that she was on the brink of death. She had been to this door once before, and it wasn't the best feeling in the world. She just couldn't accept that fact that Kai would be the one to take her life away from her. Anna glanced over at Lena one last time, wanting her last sight to be her beloved daughter.

Kai caught where Anna's eyes were drifting. He originally thought she was just looking at something random, but when he heard the sound of a baby's cry, he looked behind him to find the crib. It was as if Lena could sense her mother's pain. Kai formulated an idea in his head.

He then let go of Anna. She collapsed onto her knees. The blood began to run back up to her head. She coughed violently once again, trying her best to remember how to breath.

"Fine." Kai said. "If pain won't make you talk, then perhaps something else will." He then turned his back on Anna, facing Lena. "Let's see how much pain you'll let that baby endure before you talk."

Kai walked slowly over to Lena.

"Don't touch my daughter!" Anna demanded.

But, she was too tired to do anything else besides plead. She couldn't bear it if Lena got hurt because of her. If we lost her daughter because of her stubbornness, she couldn't live with herself. She couldn't forgive herself or Kai. She didn't want to tell Kai the truth: that she had no idea where Elsa was. That was not something he wanted to hear. Unless Anna said something useful, Kai would continue on his course.

Suddenly, a blast of ice and snow flew at Kai from the doorway. The blast hit Kai directly in the back of his head, and he crumbled to the floor instantly. A streak of white hair grew across the back of his head, replacing some of his black hair.

Anna looked up at the doorway to find Elsa whose eyes were tearing from shock and horror.

"What..." Elsa said, tears running down her eyes. "Kai..."

Anna stood up, barely able to stand due to the immense pain she was recovering from. Elsa took a step forward into the room and collapsed onto her knees, still trying her best to process everything that had just happened. Never before has she seen Kai like this. He was so violent and dark. This wasn't the Kai she fell in love with those few years ago.

Anna knelt down beside her, wrapping her arms around Elsa's shoulders, rubbing them to comfort Elsa. She knew that it probably wasn't working though. Elsa had just hurt someone she loved to save someone else she loved. This was a lot for one person to go through in just a matter of seconds. She just wanted to let Elsa know that she was there for her.

"Elsa." Anna said. "Elsa look at me!"

Elsa reluctantly turned her head toward her sister who looked just as pained.

"Did he hurt you?" Elsa asked.

Anna nodded. "And he made a mess of the castle." She added.

"Oh, God." Elsa whispered. "What's wrong with him?"

"He's sick, Elsa." Anna told her. "He's very, very sick."

"What do you mean?" Elsa asked. Kai looked as fit as he could be. He showed no sign of physical illness. If Anna meant mental illness, there was a large possibility that he was indeed sick.

"I mean," Anna elaborated, "look at him. He's changed. Whatever it is, something dark has taken over. He's not himself, that's for sure."

"What kind of thing can do this to him?" Elsa asked. "There is no such thing as true dark magic. If there was, surely the trolls would've told us about it."

"Maybe it's something that's beyond the trolls' power, Elsa." Anna said. Right off the top of her head, she couldn't think of many things that can overpower the magic of the trolls. They were arguably the most powerful beings on the planet because of their supernatural abilities. They definitely were experts on all magic just as much as they were love experts.

"He says that he doesn't remember anything about us." Anna said.

"Amnesia?" Elsa asked, choking back a sob.

"Amnesiac people don't do this." Anna said. "The trolls will know more,"

"Yeah..." Elsa said. She was in the midst of processing everything that had just happened in this short time. Confusion was her enemy during the processing.

"We better get him to the trolls." Elsa said. "Before that ice in his head kills him."

**To be continued in the next chapter**

* * *

><p>Author's Note: Hey guys! I tried to make this chapter with an even mixture of Chase action and character confusion. Plus, since this is the last installment in my trilogy, I'm going to try to make it as intense as possible. I hoped that goal of mine turned out pretty well. Please write a reviewcomment like I always ask of you. I need your input on chapters and your reactions tell me whether I'm doing things right or wrong. Also, this chapter was fairly long compared to other chapters.

I promised you guys Christmas chapters earlier, but I'm not sure whether or not I'll write them. One reason is because I don't have any ideas for one, although I have an idea for a subplot. Also, I really want to focus on this story's completion. So, tell me what you think I should do.

Also, I have a QOTD today as well!

**QOTD: What's a song Kai would sing to Elsa?**

For me, I think The Phoenix by Fall Out Boy would fit for this. Listen to it and read the lyrics to see why.

Ciao.


	16. Strange Magic

**Strange Magic**

* * *

><p>"Is he going to be okay?"<p>

Elsa couldn't recall exactly how many times she asked Grand Pabbie that question. It must have been over a hundred. But, he never fully answered her question since he was so caught up in his delicate work. One mess up could mess up Kai for good. He couldn't risk any distractions, so normally he would just make everyone wait somewhere else, but he knew how bad they wanted to be there for their friend, or at lest who used to be their friend.

Kai was placed on top of a large smooth rock which was a perfect substitute for a medical bed. Pabbie was standing on a rock placed right next to Kai's rock so that he was facing Kai's head and work on it. Elsa stood next to Pabbie, looking down at both Pabbie and Kai as he worked. Sven was at Kai's feet and Olaf was riding on top of him. Both carried rather depressed faces on them. Anna and Kristoff stood next to each other on the other side of Kai to Elsa and Pabbie. Kristoff was tapping the tip of his foot on the ground repeatedly in anticipation.

After the entire fiasco at the castle, they raced Kai to the trolls as fast as they could manage. They arrived just as the moon began to shine over the kingdom. Pabbie didn't ask any questions when he saw them because he knew just by looking the danger Kai was in. He motioned for them to follow him into a cave which was only about fifty meters away from the clearing in which all of the trolls called home. Only when he started to fix Kai's frozen brain did he begin to ask questions on what happened. As Anna told him the story, his frown got deeper and deeper.

Before they knew it, Pabbie announced that he had cleared the ice from his brain. Unlike the last time he did that, no memories needed to be altered. Kai was a grown man and he could handle himself. Elsa let out a sigh of relief after Pabbie healed him. She was so glad her powers didn't do any major damage on anyone again. It happened a few times in the past, and she had to admit that they weren't her best moments. She'd rather to just forget they ever happened and to continue with her life as it is.

"He's going to be okay, right?" Elsa asked.

"Define okay." Pabbie said. His mood did not lighten up at all. He still had the serious demeanor on, even after the "operation" was completed.

"Well, is he going to hold up?" Elsa elaborated.

"Oh," Pabbie said, "he'll live. He's going to be fine. But, whether he's okay or not..."

"Get to the point, please." Kristoff said. He knew that that was somewhat rude of him to suggest that. Pabbie had practically raised Kristoff, and Kristoff saw him as the closest thing he had to a father. Kristoff respected him more than he respected himself. But, he hated it whenever Pabbie acted so crypted. He didn't like being forced to keep asking and figuring the answer out for himself when he could just simply be told the answer. It wasted his time; time which could be spent mining ice or obsessing over reindeer. To top that, Kristoff was just thrown into a wall and was certain he had one or two broken bones. It should be expected that he was a little cranky.

Pabbie glanced over at Anna and refocused his attention on her. He wasn't entirely listening to every single little detail during Anna's story. Healing Kai took longer than he had expected. The magic ice inside of Kai was much more potent than the one that hit Anna because it was on purpose instead of accidentally. Elsa wanted Kai to go down, so she made certain that he did.

"You said that his eyes and fire was green, correct?" Pabbie asked.

Anna nodded, trying hard to forget the devilish look Kai had when he discovered her hiding under the table. She couldn't get the menacing image out of her mind no matter how hard she tried. She could never forget that one of her closest friends was willing to kill her, Kristoff, and her daughter.

"That is odd. Very peculiar." Pabbie said. "Of course, so if many of the other things that we are forced to deal with. But, I've lived a long life. I've never ever seen anything like that before."

Pabbie then raised his hand over Kai's head. Then, mist seeped out of Kai's head and formed a small pool-like screen of magic, exactly the same as the one that grew over Anna's head when Pabbie healed her and altered her memories.

"It's something I've never dealt with before." Pabbie added. "Something... evil."

"Well, it felt evil" was what both Anna and Kristoff wanted to say, but they decided to keep it to themselves. They didn't want to worsen things for Elsa. She was already under a lot of stress as it was. The last thing they wanted to do was to throw some gasoline over the fire. But, Elsa had a general idea of how evil Kai had become. The trashed castle was a good example for Kai's new destructive nature.

Before any images could show on the mist, it immediately turned greened and disappeared into Pabbie yanked his hand away as if he just touched a hot pan. He shook his hand as if to rid it of any darkness that might have stuck onto it.

"What was that?" Olaf asked, looking more worried than ever.

"I have never seen anything like it." Pabbie said. "I tried to see what was up with his nature, but there was a darkness in it that pushed me away."

"Darkness?" Kristoff asked.

"This darkness is not the same darkness as you might think of when you see a shadow or night." Pabbie said. "This darkness may be as much of a natural element as fire and ice are."

"You don't see darkness in nature." Anna added. She had never thought about darkness being a force. She always associated it with the times when she couldn't see since her vision was shrouded in darkness. But, the thought of darkness being a substance was completely bizarre. Then, she remembered that if there was light, then there is darkness. This is that darkness.

"That's because there shouldn't be." Pabbie said. He tried hard to remember something he read many years ago. It seemed so insignificant at the time that he just shrugged it off and regarded it as nothing more than a myth parents tell their children at night. He couldn't remember the exact details of it, but he did know that it involved darkness and did not bode well at all. If he'd only known that the information provided in the text would be relevant for him now, he would've always kept the story in the back of his head.

"Let's talk about this later." Pabbie said. Everyone saw the distress that took over him for a slight amount of time, and that worried them. They knew that Pabbie was the wisest of them all, though. If he thought it best to move on, who were they to argue. They were sure that he would tackle the obstacle eventually.

"Does he remember nothing?" Pabbie asked.

"Not exactly." Anna said. "He knew his name and he still kept his knowledge on how to use his powers."

"That is most strange indeed." Pabbie said. "I would expect him to forget those things as well, but this is just not the case." He knew that whatever happened to Kai surpassed any form of amnesia.

"Well," Pabbie said, "perhaps I can fix the problem. I can alter memories as easily as I can unlock them."

Pabbie raised his arm in the air and the same white mist seeped out of Kai's head. Images began to appear one by one inside the mist. Elsa and the others paid close attention to what exactly was happening. They saw Kai holding Anna by the neck, they saw him traveling to Arendelle, and they saw him waking up in a very strange place which greatly resembled a temple. But, the images stopped there, and the mist once again disappeared.

"What's wrong?" Elsa asked Pabbie.

"I cannot go any further." Pabbie said. "There's nothing else to see."

"Of course there's stuff to see." Elsa said. "He has twenty five years of memories."

"I know." Pabbie said. "But it's not as simple as it seems."

Pabbie wouldn't expect for Elsa to know anything about what he was doing or what he has done. He wished that she understood what had happened to Kai just as well as he did. It would make his life and job so much less harder than it needed to be. He tried thinking of an analogy about the entire memory concept for Elsa and the others to understand.

"Think about it this way." Pabbie said. The others scooted in as far as they could to listen up. "Memories are like books in a library, and this library would be, of course, your mind. It's where all of your information and experience is kept. When someone completely forgets their memories, it's like they've been locked out of this library. Eventually, they'll find their way in and have access to their memories again."

Elsa nodded slowly and slightly as Pabbie told them the analogy. She was following along quite well, understanding perfectly what Pabbie was trying to teach her.

"But," Pabbie said, "Kai is different. He's not necessarily locked out of the library. If so, I could easily give him the keys to get back in. He has access to the library, but there are no books in them. No memories. The entire place was picked clean, leaving only a few bits and pieces of information which Kai currently knows."

"So what?" Kristoff asked. "Did Kai just forget everything just like that?"

"No." Pabbie answered. "If you can forget, you can remember. If he forgot it, I could help him remember. One does not simply forget all he has known. His memories were not forgotten. They were taken."

For a good few seconds, there was complete silence between everyone in the small cave. All of them were pondering why and how it was possible to take someone's memory. Taking one's belongings was one thing, but taking their memories was completely different. Memories are who they are. Memories define a person. Memories shaped the person into what he or she currently is. Taking them away would mean taking everything away. There was almost no greater loss than losing who one is.

"By whom?" Elsa asked.

"I do not have all of the answers." Pabbie said, disappointed to himself. As wise as he was, there was still plenty of things he didn't know. He wasn't as omniscient as many people mistaken him to be. He gave advice, but he wasn't a fortune teller.

"Well," Anna said, "can't you just give them back to him." Anna was one of those people who overestimated Pabbie's abilities. She always thought that he could fix any problem concerning magic, as he was probably the one who dealt with magic the most out of everyone in the entire world.

"I am not the one who took them away." Pabbie said. "I cannot return to him what has been stolen."

"Then do what you did with Anna." Elsa suggested. "Plant new ones in there good enough to be substitutes."

"I cannot just create and plant memories, Elsa." Pabbie said. "I merely altered Anna's memories. I did not create any new ones."

Elsa was getting frustrated. She had hoped that Pabbie would make everything better for everyone, but all he managed to do was to fix Kai's icy injury. After that, nothing but bad news came to her. All she wanted was Kai back and normal. His condition was not something Elsa wanted to put up with at all. She had no idea what to do now, knowing that Pabbie is powerless to do anything to make Kai the way he used to be.

"Then what are we going to do?" Anna asked.

"We find whoever took Kai's memories and take them back." Elsa answered.

"Yeah," Kristoff said, "good luck with that. We don't have the slightest idea on who this person is, nor do we have any clues that will help lead us to him or her either. It's going to be a lost cause, and I'm not wasting my time on a lost cause."

Elsa clenched her fists. She had half a mind to turn Kristoff into a nice ice sculpture right where he stood. She refrained from doing so because Anna was standing right next to him.

"Lost cause?!" Elsa asked, angrily. "You think helping Kai is a lost cause?!"

Both Anna and Kristoff could feel the temperature around them decrease. Anna wouldn't be surprised if a miniature ice storm would just appear and rage inside the cave. The torches would be diminished in a matter of seconds.

"I didn't mean it like that." Kristoff said.

"Well, it sure sounded like it." Elsa countered.

"Stop fighting!" Olaf exclaimed, sounding like a child. He then hopped off of Sven and ran out of the cave, not wanting to see a scene.

"Okay, that's enough." Anna said, holding a each hand out in front of both of them. The last thing she wanted was a brawl between Kristoff and Elsa, and she had a feeling Elsa would completely wreck Kristoff in a mere few seconds. She was protecting Kristoff by stopping the spark before it caught fire. But, she was mostly making sure Elsa didn't create another eternal winter.

"Arguing isn't going to bring Kai back." Anna continued. "We can't be at each other's throats, especially not now."

Elsa found it odd that she and Kristoff were being so childish about all of this. Of course she knew that Anna was right. It wouldn't be helping anyone, not even herself, to take her anger out on another person. It won't be helping Kai especially. They were all a team, whether they liked it or not, and they needed to cooperate perfectly with one another.

"You two would be wise to take her advice." Pabbie said. "But, Kristoff is right, Elsa. It would be very unwise to run off and search for whoever has done this to Kai. It may take years for you to even get a clue on who this person is."

"Then what do you suggest we do?" Elsa asked. She was out of options at that point. She had nothing else to do for Kai.

"Well," Pabbie said, "the best thing we can do is wait. Whoever did this to Kai clearly wanted something from you, Elsa. I'm certain he or she will not stop there in whatever they intend to do. I'm sure they'll eventually come out of the shadows."

"But, until they do, we're not getting Kai's memory back." Kristoff said, grimly.

"I'm afraid not." Pabbie agreed.

"So," Anna said, "we're stuck with a guy who have no idea who we are. It's going to talk a lot of convincing for us to tell him about everything he has done and who we are."

"I imagine that will be especially hard because of his current state." Elsa said. "I'm going to be honest with you guys; I'm really not looking forward to him waking up."

"He'll attack right when he sees Elsa." Anna told Pabbie.

"Hm..." Pabbie said, scratching his chin with his fingers. His skills in magic were superb, far beyond those of everyone he knew. Perhaps, he would be able to help them if he truly tried. "I may be able to help you with that?"

The others gave Pabbie a confused look as if he was speaking gibberish.

"I thought you said you can't fix him." Elsa said.

"Not completely." Pabbie confirmed. "But, there's a slight chance I may be able to expel the darkness within."

"Since when did you become an exorcist?" Kristoff asked.

"It's not an exorcism." Pabbie said. "I'm not dealing with malevolent spirits. I'm dealing with darkness itself. Like always, darkness can be countered with light."

"So," Anna said, "what're you going to do exactly."

"I'm going to do my best to use magic to expel the darkness." Pabbie said. "It won't give him back his memory, but it will greatly lower his aggression."

"As long as it will make him better..." Elsa said. "Do what you must."

"It's going to take time." Pabbie said. "I've never done this before, but I have an idea how to. You may want to wait outside while I do it. It's very time consuming, and very difficult. I suggest you all get some rest."

They weren't prepared to argue. Pabbie knew what was best, and it would be very unwise for them to ignore his suggestions. They reluctantly all walked outside, with Sven in the lead. They walked over to the clearing which all of the trolls called home, and where Kristoff was practically raised for many years of his life. They glanced over to a noisier part of the clearing and found Olaf playing with tiny troll children.

The adult trolls, who used to be talking to each other, made way for Kristoff and the others as they walked to the center of the clearing. Silence was common among all of them. No troll dared to speak yet because they had no idea what was happening, exactly.

Then, one troll, who had a small cape made of greens hanging on his back - similar to the one Pabbie wore - approached the group from the crowd. His necklace had almost as many crystals as Pabbie did, much more than the other trolls. This troll was certainly Pabbie's second in command as he resembled Pabbie in attire incredibly. He was also Pabbie's protégé, learning the ways of magic as Pabbie knew them.

"Rollo." Kristoff acknowledged.

"Kristoff." Rollo said. His voice sounded quite young and not as deep compared to the voices of the other trolls. "What's going on in there?"

"Pabbie's doing his best to fix Kai up." Kristoff answered. "He said it may take a while."

"I should be in there with him." Rollo said. "I know magic well enough to assist him."

"I'm not sure that you'll be a great help, Rollo." Elsa said. "Pabbie says that what he's doing surpasses even his own knowledge and abilities."

"I thought Pabbie knew everything magical." Rollo said.

"Everything that he thought mattered, yes." Elsa agreed.

"What do you mean by that?" Rollo asked. He was not one to doubt Pabbie's abilities like the others were, but Elsa was making him sound powerless. Pabbie was not at the slightest powerless. Wisdom comes power.

"One second," Elsa said, "Kai was with me. The next, he barged into our home and hurt Anna." When Elsa said that, Anna rubbed the area of her neck which Kai grabbed her by.

"Oh yeah." Kristoff said, sarcastically. "He hurt Anna! Oh, poor Anna. She must feel horrible. Let's all worry about Anna even though I was shot into a damn wall."

The others ignored Kristoff's comments. It really wasn't the time for sarcasm. Actually, it really wasn't the time for anything except for worrying and hoping that the future would be brighter.

"I'm pretty sure this is the first time in his lifetime that Pabbie has encountered something like this." Rollo said.

"Seems like it." Elsa agreed.

"But, I'm no stranger to troll history." Rollo said. "We've had instances where our magic couldn't help people through there problems such as this one time a large brown beast asked us to turn him into a human prince again, and another time when a king and queen asked us to find a way to reverse some spell on their daughter. This must be another one of those times."

"Well, they pulled through, right?" Anna asked.

Rollo shrugged. "We've never heard from any of them again, although I'm pretty sure they fixed their problems with-"

"Let me guess." Kristoff said. "True love?"

"Of course." Rollo said.

"It seems like that's the cure for anything." Kristoff said. "It's so repetitive in these stories told to us. I get it! True love is the answer! It's the cure for everything except for diseases. Plus, it's always the same too! I hope the day will come when I hear about true love that's not between a man and woman."

Both Anna and Elsa cleared their throats, loud enough so Kristoff could hear. He ignored them.

"Anyway," Rollo said, "when-"

He stopped mid sentence when he heard Pabbie scream from the cave. Kristoff and the others turned around to see what was up. The screaming was still there, but it was weakening. That wasn't good. Screams only weaken when one calms down... or when one can't scream anymore.

Kristoff, Elsa, Anna, and Sven ran to the cave only to find a large ball of green fire flying right at them.

**To be continued in the next chapter**

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><p>Author's Notes: Hope you guys like the chapter. I'm extremely sorry that this one was very short compared to the last one. I intended to be longer, but like always, I cut it so that the next part would be put in the next chapter. Did any of you guys catch the easter eggs I put in there? There might be a delay in me writing chapters because finals are coming up and I have to study... and by study I mean procrastinate on studying. I'm really not looking forward to them. I'm also going on Christmas vacation soon so don't expect any chapters for a week or two after Christmas.<p>

**QOTD: If a sequel was made for Frozen, would you rather it be an original story or be adapted from a fanfiction? If so, which? (I promise I won't be offended if you don't choose mine)**

Ciao.


	17. The Fall of a Friend, The Rise of a Foe

**The Fall of a Friend, The Rise of a Foe**

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><p>Pabbie stood over Kai, his hand raised a few inches above Kai's face. A large screen of mist floated over Kai's temple, displaying flashes of the current memories Kai had. Memories that weren't necessarily good at all. Pabbie could pretty much see most of everything Kai had witnessed, but it seemed as though very important information was not being included.<p>

Pabbie constantly kept seeing the black silhouette of a man and woman, but he could not entirely make out who they were. Pabbie found this particularly strange because he usually could see exactly what Kai saw. It was as if the dark magic that was swarming through his body has purposely kept the identity of the two silhouettes a secret. That was another strange thing Pabbie had never seen before in his life. What kind of magic was smart enough to do that? Or rather, who would be smart enough to create that kind of magic?

Pabbie knew exactly what kind of person or people he was dealing with. Someone of supernatural abilities which exceeded even Pabbie's own capabilities. This person was someone who should not be taken very lightly and was a force to be reckoned with. This form of villain was incredibly uncommon if not nonexistent in the current world.

The adversaries Pabbie always heard of usually wanted something like power or money. They all attempted to reach their goals using manpower. Never before has Pabbie heard of someone use dark magic to achieve their goals. What possible person could be able to use and control darkness itself? Controlling darkness was not a trick people could simply learn. This evil was ancient. Ancient...

It suddenly snapped to Pabbie. He recalled exactly what he read all of those years ago. About the woman who controlled darkness and her elemental allies who eventually betrayed her. He remembered the eternal shadow over the world and how the dark being was banished. It has never been before recorded of a dark being besides this witch. Either a new one was born, or...

Kai's eyes shot open just as Pabbie finished his last thought. Kai darted his eyes toward Pabbie. Under other circumstances, he would question the existence of a talking rock, but this was a different circumstance. Kai had no idea who Pabbie was nor what he was doing. So, naturally he did the thing he was best at. Before Pabbie could calm Kai down and explain things to him, Kai smacked Pabbie hard with a swing of his arm and it sent him flying into the cave wall.

Pabbie hit it so hard that a small crack appeared on his back. It was very possible for that crack to get much bigger.

Before Pabbie could get himself together, Kai rolled off of his stone bed and lunged a few feet at Pabbie. Kai then grabbed Pabbie by the back of his necklace of crystals and raised him up against the cave wall. Pabbie's feet dangled helplessly above the ground.

"Who are you?" Kai demanded.

"Kai," Pabbie said, "please-"

"Answer my question, rock!" Kai demanded. Kai wasn't sure whether or not anyone else was close by, and reinforcements was the last thing he wanted against him. He tried his best to keep his voice down but still as demanding.

"You may not know me," Pabbie said, trying to sound as formal and as confident as he could. But, that was in itself a struggle. He obviously did not have the upper hand during his little predicament. Kai could easily finish him off in a mere number of seconds if Pabbie made the wrong move. But, that's exactly what gave Kai the upper hand. He knew that Pabbie was frightened, so that would make it easier to make him squeal. Pabbie could not let his fear show or else he would be showing weakness, and that would make Kai's job so much easier.

"But I know you." Pabbie said. Pabbie couldn't remember the last time he actually talked to Kai. Now that he thought about it, he had never talked to Kai before in his life. The two have seen each other occasionally, but never had they engaged in a formal conversation. Pabbie knew that Kai was Elsa's significant other, and Kai knew that Pabbie was probably the wisest person in the world. Even with that in mind, they never really got to know each other. This was not a good first conversation.

"Why does everybody keep saying that?" Kai asked.

"Because it is true." Pabbie said.

"Did the Queen put you up to this?" Kai asked. "Messing around with my head?" Kai was told of how deceptive Elsa and her family could be. He would never let them talk him down as he thought the probability of their words being lies were incredibly high. He had no reason to trust Elsa or anyone else besides Mara. She was the one who had what Kai wanted, and he intended to do whatever he could to get it back.

"No, Kai." Pabbie said. "I'm trying to help you."

"I feel fine." Kai said. "Unless you can do anything about my memories, you're just another soon to be corpse."

Pabbie did not like the sound of that. The way Anna had described Kai earlier made it sound like he was a man of no remorse and no morals. That didn't sound like the old Kai at all. The old Kai was somewhat refined and had morals, but now, he has been completely reformed for the worst. Everything he was before was now dead. No, not dead. Taken. Whoever took Kai's memories, everything that Kai was, is the worst type of adversary. They turn those you love against you.

"I cannot help you with your memories." Pabbie said. "I am truly sorry."

"Yeah?" Kai asked. "Sorry is not going to get you out of the fire. What reason do I have to let you live?"

Pabbie knew that at that point, there would be nothing else he could say to save his life. Anna was right when she said that Kai had become a monster. He used to be a hero. People all around Arendelle would sing songs about him and tell stories to their children about Kai's past and his great deeds. It took less than twenty four hours for Kai to become what he is now. It took less than twenty four hours to erase the honor that came with those stories.

"I..." Pabbie said. "I'm a friend."

"I ask again." Kai said. "Who are you?"

"My name is Pabbie." Pabbie answered. "Grand Pabbie. King of the Trolls of the Valley of the Living Rock."

"Is that supposed to mean something?" Kai asked.

"To you?" Pabbie asked. "No."

"If your name means nothing to me," Kai said, "neither does your life."

Kai then raised his other hand and clenched his fist. Green fire then engulfed his hand and wrist. Kai could see the reflection of it inside of Pabbie's scared eyes. Kai wasn't sure exactly what fire could do to a rock, but he was very experimental. He wanted so badly to find out exactly how much damage he could do in one strike.

"It doesn't have to be this way." Kai said.

"Then put your hand down." Pabbie agreed.

"We're too far in to stop now." Kai countered. "There is one and only one way you survive. Where is Elsa?"

Moment of truth, Pabbie thought. He had no idea exactly what Kai would do with Elsa after he has obtained her. He was not yet willing to compromise the security of a girl he invested so much time and magic into. Elsa looked up to him, and how could he betray that fact? He also knew that there would be almost no way for Elsa to stand up against Kai. For all he knew, Kai was superior in combat. He didn't want her to face him.

Then again, Kai would find out where she was anyways. She was most likely outside with the other trolls. Kai would find them even if Pabbie didn't tell. His death would be pointless. But, this new Kai was unpredictable. He had no idea whether Kai would keep his word or not.

"You're going to just kill me either way, aren't you?" Pabbie asked.

Kai smirked. "You're smarter than you look." He'd expect Pabbie to not be tell him since he just admitted to killing him either way. But, if Pabbie was smart enough to figure out Kai's deception, then he would be smart enough to keep his mouth shut.

"I will not tell." Pabbie said. "Neither will I beg for my life. I am no coward."

Kai then was triggered to attack. As hard as he could, with as much force as he could apply, he punched his fire hand as fast as lightning into Pabbie's body, below his head. Kai soon found that his fist was completely embedded into the rock that was Pabbie's body.

Pabbie let out a howl of pain as cracks began to appear all over his body. Kai willed more energy into his fire. Soon, the cracks began to glow green from the inside.

"Loyal to the end, huh?" Kai said.

He then yanked his hand out of Pabbie's body and let the rock go. Pabbie landed on the ground, his back leaning against the cave wall. A large hole was broken into his body. The cracks had smoke coming out of them.

Kai then heard loud footsteps coming from outside the cave. It was obvious that a group of people were making their way towards him. The steps were rapid enough to make it obvious that they were running or at least jogging. Kai walked to the exit of the cave, concealed in the shadow of the cave exit. He could see the moon shining down upon the clearing ahead of him.

He then saw Elsa and her friends and family running towards the cave, with worried looks on all of their faces. Kai knew that this was a good opportunity to claim Elsa and escape to Mara with her. But, he could see that he was outnumbered. Past them, Kai could see an entire clearing full of trolls just like Pabbie. To add to that, he didn't know Elsa's prowess in combat. She may be good or she may not be. The odds were against him, it seemed.

Now is not the time to get her, Kai thought. For sure, Mara would make Kai go after her another time. Right now, all Kai was concerned about was getting out of there, and he had only a few seconds before the others got into the cave and see what he has done.

Kai shot a fireball right at them as they ran. But, the fireball flew towards the ground at their feet rather than at them and past them. The group jumped to the side as the fireball, which had just touched the ground, exploded into a long wall of fire. Kai couldn't exactly remember how he could make a wall of fire, but he was happier knowing that that ability was within his domain of expertise. He had expected for the trees and grass around the firewall to catch fire, but the fire did not seem to spread. Kai's artificial fire was very different from natural fire. It was more refined as it seemed. The fire was large enough to create a obstacle between the cave and the others.

Kai quickly remembered of the pearl Mara had given him. She had claimed that Kai could use it as a short way to get to her. Kai quickly reached into his pocket and felt around for any smooth sphere. When his fingers met something smooth, his thumb and index finger pulled it out of his pocket. In his hand was a small pearl of pure black. Remembering Mara's instructions, Kai turned back and faced the inside of the cave. He then threw the pearl a few feet at the ground in front of him. Instantly, the pearl broke and a large doorway of complete darkness formed in front of Kai. He couldn't see what was on the other side nor did he know exactly what awaited him inside, but Mara had told him to use it. What reason would Mara have to lie to Kai about this if she needed him?

Kai was about to step inside the shadowy doorway but he felt something was missing. He looked down at his waist to find that his weapons were no longer strapped to his side. Kai turned his head to find them leaning against the cave wall. He quickly swooped down and grabbed his dagger and sword.

He then walked into dark door, hoping he could find something on the other side.

* * *

><p>Elsa shot a stream of ice from her hand and ran it across the origin of the flames where they met the ground. Quickly, the wall of fire diminished and was replaced by a line of ice on the ground. Without hesitation, Elsa, Anna, Kristoff, and Sven raced over the ice and towards the cave. She was sure that Kai was still in there and because of the fact his fire was still green, she knew that Pabbie had failed his task.<p>

They ran into the cave with worry heavy on their hearts. Elsa prepared herself to blast Kai in the head with ice again, but she saw that the small cave was empty except for her family and Pabbie. Elsa gasped and put her hand over her open mouth when she saw the condition Pabbie was in. Kristoff ran to the side of the cave, kneeling next to the dying Pabbie. Kristoff inspected the large hole inside of Pabbie's body. Anna knelt on the other side of Pabbie and held his hand in both of hers. Elsa still stood in her place, shocked. Sven looked down at the ground, unable to face Pabbie and the others.

"Kai..." Pabbie couldn't finish his sentence. He coughed violently right after he said that one word.

"He did this?" Anna asked.

Pabbie made a weak sound which was the closest thing he could do to saying yes.

"You're going to be alright." Kristoff promised. "I swear." This was unfortunately a swear which will be broken. Kristoff only said that to make both of them feel slightly better about the situation, but even he knew that there would be no way for Pabbie to survive the next few minutes much less recover from it at all. Rocks did not heal naturally like many other things did. What Kai did to Pabbie was permanent and impossible to change.

"Listen to Kristoff." Anna told Pabbie.

"If only his claims would become true." Pabbie said, managing to make a weak smile.

Elsa walked over and knelt down right in front of Pabbie. She then out her hand over Pabbie's foot and rubbed it as an act of reassuring.

"We can get you to the others." Elsa said. "Surely there's someone who can help you."

"There is not." Pabbie said. His vision got blurrier by the second. Soon, he couldn't even make out certain facial features of his allies. Anna could see that he was struggling to keep himself awake. She took that as a sign that all was doomed for Grand Pabbie. She then looked down at her knees and started to weakly cry. Pabbie had done so much and taught so many things to and for Anna. She couldn't believe that he was passing and from the most gruesome and painful way.

"Please..." Anna said, mid-sob. "Don't go."

Pabbie kept his smile and raised his arm up at Anna's face. He wiped a tear off of her cheek and let his arm down. He was almost out of energy and life to do anything else.

"Do not cry." Pabbie said. "I have accepted my time, and so must you."

He then turned over to Kristoff whose eyes were red and beginning to tear up. Everyone took Kristoff for a tough guy who never cried nor did he know the meaning of emotional pain. But, seeing Pabbie like this - Pabbie; the man who helped raise him - made him tear up. He respected and cared for Pabbie more than he did himself. Now, Pabbie was going away permanently.

"Protect them, Kristoff." Pabbie said. "Protect my people and everything they are and will be. Tell Rollo the same."

Kristoff reluctantly smiled and nodded.

"I will." Kristoff said. "Of course I will."

"Good..." Pabbie said. They could hear his voice getting weaker and weaker. They could sense his life shortening as well. Pabbie turned to Elsa for the last time. "There..." Pabbie almost drifted off into death before he could finish his sentence. "There is another out there who can help Kai."

Elsa smiled, glad to hear of those words, but incredibly upset knowing that it took his dying breath to tell them that.

"Find him." Pabbie said. "Rollo knows of who I speak of."

"Why?" Elsa asked. "Why would you want Kai to be helped even after this?"

"Because..." Pabbie said, letting out another cough. "I know to never turn my back on someone who needs help. Even in death I believe this. Never forsake each other."

Pabbie then closed his eyes and his arm went limp in Anna's hand. He lay there motionless and lifeless. Anna put her hands over her face and began to cry. Elsa got out of the way for Kristoff to crawl over to Anna and kneel next to her. Kristoff then put his arm around Anna's shoulders, and she did not hesitate to bury her face in his shoulder and soak his clothes with her tears. Kristoff closed his eyes for a long while and shed a single tear.

"Goodbye," Kristoff said, "old friend."

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><p>The trolls gathered a few yards in front of the cave, asking themselves what exactly was happening in there. They weren't brave enough to walk inside as they had no idea what to expect. The fireball that came out of it was the one thing that forced them to keep their distance.<p>

Soon, figures emerged out of the shadows of the cave. The first one to exit was Sven who walked out slowly with his eyes pointed towards the ground. He was in no way happy or joyful at all. Sadness was the look that dominated him, and it was pretty obvious too.

Following Sven was the sisters. Anna was walking in a similar manner to Sven, with her head pointed downward. She was wiping tears off of her cheeks and was sniffing as she walked. Elsa walked beside her with one arm around Anna's shoulders and was using her other hand to hold onto Anna's upper arm. Elsa was whispering reassuring things into Anna's ear.

The most shocking of all was Kristoff. He walked out with a serious yet incredibly upset look on his face. His forearms were extended in front of him, and the body of Grand Pabbie was being held in them. The trolls all gasped and cried in equal amounts when they saw what was happening. As the group walked, the trolls moved to the side to make way for them.

The chatter among the trolls was nonexistent. Usually, they always had something to talk and gossip about no matter what the circumstances. But, silence was all that was given from them. There was nothing to talk about. There was only things to comprehend and process. Pabbie was gone. Their great leader who had cared and taught them for so many years was gone in the blink of an eye. No one was expecting it. How could they? They were all silent out of respect for the old troll.

Kristoff soon found himself in the middle of the clearing which was home to the trolls. They had made a large circle for him and the others. Olaf appeared out of the crowd and joined the group. His usual happy demeanor was gone. The saddest look he could ever manage was all he could show.

"How did this happen?" Olaf asked, breaking the silence.

"Kai did this." Kristoff answered.

Angry uproars came from the trolls. All of them seemed angry now knowing who killed Pabbie. Elsa was pained to hear all of this hate being targeted to Kai, especially since he was so close to her. She didn't want Kai to strain her relationship between the trolls at all. She knew that she needed to explain things to them to calm them down.

"Please." Elsa said. "Stop."

"This is your fault!" Yelled a random male troll. "You brought him here and now look what has happened!"

"He didn't know what he was doing." Elsa countered to the crowd. "He wasn't himself."

"And that makes it okay for him to murder Pabbie?!" Another troll asked.

Elsa desperately turned to Kristoff. She knew that if anyone was to calm the trolls down, it would be him. He was the thing that branched the trolls and Arendelle royalty together. Without him, their friendship with the trolls would never have happened. But, that friendship seemed to be short lived as it was severing as they speak. She hoped Kristoff could prevent that from happening. The last thing he wanted was for the others to be denied help by the trolls. She prayed that Kristoff would defend Kai even after all he had done.

"Help me out here." Elsa requested to Kristoff.

Kristoff looked away from her, but she knew that he heard him. His face had no expression on it. Either he had nothing going on in his mind or he had too many things to think about. Pabbie practically raised him. He taught him so much. Everything Pabbie was to him was taken away in a matter of minutes. Kristoff knew Pabbie much longer than he knew Kai. He would never forsake him. But, Kristoff wasn't thinking about what Pabbie said about not forsaking Kai.

"Pabbie is dead because of Kai." Kristoff said. His voice and words were barely audible because of the outraged trolls, but Elsa managed to barely make it out. "Do you expect me to just forgive him?"

Elsa couldn't believe Kristoff's refusal to cooperate with her. She knew that he was still sore with Kai, but it was how long that worried her. She understood what Kai had done was horrible, and she wasn't sure whether or not she had fully forgiven him herself, but she couldn't just leave Kai alone knowing he had this evil behavior and mentality. She couldn't forsake him no matter what, especially since he meant so much to her.

"Kai was your friend." Elsa countered.

"So was Pabbie!" Kristoff retorted, loudly.

Anna was overhearing the conversation her sister and husband were having while she was trying her best to calm down the trolls. She knew that the two would eventually snap apart, and she couldn't let that happen. She couldn't make herself choose sides. How could she? It's the hardest decision to make. She couldn't choose one without loosing the other, and she couldn't bear to lose either.

"Enough!" Anna yelled, at the top of her lungs.

Everyone stopped moving their lips and looked at Anna. She was panting, apparently the scream took away quite amount of energy. She didn't just direct it at the screaming trolls. She meant most of it to Kristoff and Elsa. When the two fought, which was rare, Anna was scared that everything was going to fall apart. She didn't know what would happen if things ever did. The two of the three people she loved most in the world could not be at each other's throats. She wouldn't allow it.

"Thank you." Anna said, casually.

"She's right." Kristoff said, tired of fighting. He was glad Anna could stop the spark before they caught fire. "Make sure Pabbie gets a proper burial. We all know he deserves one."

Trolls in the crowd silently agreed with one another. Pabbie told them everything they needed to know, and giving him a proper sendoff was the least they could do to return the favor. It was a bit too late to return the favor.

"We need to speak to Rollo in private." Elsa announced.

Kristoff shot her a look, but, it was more of a confused look than an angry one. His look seemed to say "You still going to help Kai, huh?"

Rollo appeared out of the crowd, looking more down than most of the other trolls. He motioned for them to follow him. The crowd broke apart and prepared to give Pabbie a proper funeral. It was going to take a while to prepare, and during that time would be the perfect moment for Elsa to tell Rollo everything.

Rollo led Kristoff, Anna, Elsa, Olaf, and Sven away from the clearing and into a small part of the forest very close to the other trolls where the moon shined brightly. It was a place where they could speak privately so that they were far enough from the others, but close enough so that there would be no real danger for them. It was always a probability to them for Kai to pop up out of nowhere and strike as they had no idea where he was nor how he escaped the cave. They needed to be extra cautious for their own sake.

"It looks like you're the leader of your people now, Rollo." Anna said.

"Unfortunately." Rollo said, sadly.

"Why is that?" Olaf asked. "Isn't it a great honor?"

"It is." Rollo confirmed. "Suited for men better than me."

He didn't have to say it for the others to tell who he was talking about.

"I'm sorry." Elsa said. "We brought him here, and you guys were the ones that paid the price."

"Not just them." Kristoff said, looking down at his feet.

Elsa looked up at Kristoff and gave him a distressed look which he couldn't see. She had no idea how she could get him back on her side; the side where Kai isn't a complete monster. She had a feeling, though, that with time, Kristoff would think more positively about Kai.

"Before he died," Elsa said, "Pabbie mentioned someone who could help Kai. Possibly someone with similar abilities."

"Is it possible he meant me?" Rollo asked. "I have trained under him for months and I know most of what he knows about magic."

"Do you know anything about darkness extraction or memory restoration?" Elsa asked.

"Well…" Rollor said. "No."

"I thought so." Elsa said.

"Besides," Anna chimed, "he didn't mean you, anyway. He did say, however, that you know of whom he speaks of."

Rollo looked straight ahead of him. The others could tell that he was deep thought. Whoever this person was did not bode anything positive to them at all. Elsa wasn't really sure whether she wanted to find out who this mystery person is… assuming, of course, that it was indeed a person and not some crazy unicorn creature from the depths of the ocean. She highly doubted he meant a unicorn.

"Yes." Rollo said. "He means his brother, Arthar. The exiled one."

"Pabbie had a brother?" Kristoff asked. "Why was I never told?"

"Because we don't like talking about him." Rollo answered. "I only know because Pabbie just recently trusted me with this information."

"Why don't you like talking about him?" Olaf asked.

Rollo did his best to remember exactly what had happened the way he was told things. But, he realized that Pabbie was very vague with the details and left out many pieces of information.

"Long ago," Rollo said, "before any of us were born, Pabbie and Arthar were like the guardians of the trolls. But, one day, Arthar lost something precious, and he was exiled."

"They just kicked him out?" Anna asked.

"That's the thing." Rollo said. "I'm not sure whether he exiled himself or the others exiled him."

"Well," Kristoff said, "it must be something very valuable if losing it meant exile."

"Yes." Rollo said. "At least that was what I was told. Pabbie seemed quick in giving me details which may or may not be valid."

"You're saying he was lying?" Elsa asked.

"Heavens no." Rollo said. "I'm just saying that the only proof for this story being valid was Pabbie. But, he's gone. I know for sure, though, that Arthar is real."

"Do the others know of him too?" Elsa asked.

"Only that he was Pabbie's brother." Rollo said. "Other than that, they're in the dark about this."

"So," Anna said, "Pabbie thinks this Arthar can help us."

"If he says so," Rollo said, "I would not doubt it." He's learned not to question anything Pabbie ever said. If Pabbie was to ever lie, it would be for good reason and to make things better for everyone around them. They highly doubted that this was a lie. Pabbie would not use his dying words on a lie.

"You wouldn't happen to know where this Arthar is, now?" Elsa asked. She was quite impatient to find help for Kai. The quicker they got it done, the less lives would get hurt because of Kai. They knew how fast Kai could do things. They needed to finish the job as soon as possible.

"You're in luck." Rollo said. "Pabbie did mention his location."

"And that is?" Elsa asked.

"Mount Caelum." Rollo answered. "Where the peak is suppose to touch the sky."

Elsa and Anna looked up at Kristoff in hopes of him knowing the location of Rollo's home. He usually knew all of these things as locations were in his domain of expertise.

Kristoff shrugged. "I've never heard of that mountain before." He admitted.

"I wouldn't expect you to." Rollo said. "It's far more northern than the North Mountain is. So far that people have no business there at all. It's land claimed by the wild."

"What would Arthar be doing there?" Anna asked.

"You should ask him that." Rollo said.

"He probably went up there years ago." Kristoff pointed out to the others. Elsa was scared that it sounded like he didn't want to go, but Kristoff's tone did not imply that at all. He was just adding a fact in which they would be stupid to overlook, and in their hurry, they almost did. "There's no guarantee that he'll still be there." Kristoff finished.

"That is true." Rollo agreed. "We cannot be sure whether he's still there, much less whether he's willing to help, or even if he's still alive. But, there are no other leads. This is all we know of his whereabouts, unfortunately."

"We need to ask ourselves what reason would Arthar have to leave Mount Caelum." Elsa said. "As it seems, there is nothing for him here or anywhere."

"All the more reason to check it out." Anna added. Anna wanted just as badly as Elsa did to go on this journey. She was more than willing to do her part in helping Kai. She did owe him after he saved her life countless times. In no way what she was doing going to make things even for the two, but it was a start. Plus, she was ready to go on another journey. She was itching to get out of the castle and have a few days of rest from being a mother.

"Guess I'm in." Kristoff said. Elsa was sort of surprised that he said it. He wasn't on the best terms with Kai at the moment. But, why else would he show up and attend this meeting if he wasn't going to go.

"Disasters happen whenever I leave Anna alone." Kristoff joked. Sven nodded and smiled, implying that he was in.

"Olaf?" Kristoff asked.

"Of course I'm in." Olaf said. "Let's go save the world!"

The others didn't want to break the news to Olaf that they weren't necessarily saving the world. Kristoff just shrugged and said "Close enough."

"Now," Elsa asked, "are you sure that Arthar knows how to help Kai."

"No." Rollo said. "But, he wouldn't tell you about him if he didn't think he couldn't help."

"Okay," Elsa said, "but none of us know how to get to Mount Caelum."

"I'm not sure if I can help you with that." Rollo said.

That was not something that put everyone's hopes up at all. They highly doubted they could find anyone in time who knew how to get to Mount Caelum. Like Rollo said, no one would ever have any business up there. It also seemed like a very bad idea to just walk past the North Mountain without knowing exactly how to safely navigate to Mount Caelum.

Then, Rollo smiled when he saw something incredible and impossible. In the corner of his eye, he saw a small butterfly with bright blue wings, impossible to miss. On the wings were complex yet beautiful black markings. He had heard of butterflies with these wing patterns before. He knew that they made their home near Mount Caelum. If he played his cards right, he could get them a guide. It all depended on whether his magic would work or not.

"On second thought…" Rollo said, smiling. "I have an idea."

**To be continued in the next chapter**

* * *

><p>Author's Note: This is quite possibly the longest chapter I've ever written in my life. Hope you guys liked it. This chapter did contain lots of things important to the plot. Also, I'm really sorry I had to kill off Pabbie. I needed to show how remorseless the new Kai is. I hope you'll forgive me for this.<p>

Recently, I thought about the complete plot of the story and realized that I could still make changes. So, huge changes from the original plot are coming up. Of course, you guys wouldn't know what the original plot is.

I think we're about two fifths done with the story at this point, and it looks like I'm going to be writing it for a while next year. Depending on when I finish, I'll make the decision to write a Percy Jackson fic or the prequel fic for this.

**QOTD (I was running out of ideas and didn't really want to ask anything meaningful so I just wanted to get to know you guys better): Who's your favorite superhero?**

Personally, I'm a fan of The Flash, Batman, and Deadpool. I can't choose between the three.

Ciao.


	18. The Guide

**The Guide**

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><p>"You see that?" Rollo asked, pointing toward the blue winged butterfly which had just made its home on top of a low hanging branch nearby, about seven feet off the ground. Rollo hoped that the butterfly would not fly far away in the next few seconds as it would probably be the greatest gift he will and will ever give them for their journey. Who knew how long it will be before another butterfly of the same type will randomly fly by for use. Probably never. They got lucky with this butterfly.<p>

Kristoff, Elsa, Anna, and Olaf turned their heads toward the butterfly. Elsa turned her head back towards Rollo and gave him a confused look. She thought he was crazy. How in the world was a butterfly going to help them at all in their endeavors. She hoped Rollo wasn't just randomly pointing towards a pretty insect.

"It's a butterfly." Elsa said.

"A pretty one." Olaf added, still staring at the majestic beauty.

"It may be," Elsa said, "but it's still a normal butterfly. No offense, but I fail to see how that helps us at all besides give us something pretty to look at."

"Ah, dear Elsa," Rollo said, finally given the moment to continue, "that's not just a normal butterfly. It came from the forest surrounding Mount Caelum."

"Okay?" Elsa said, still confused. "It's still a normal butterfly which happens to come Mount Caelum. It's not like it has any magical qualities. I'm pretty sure it has no idea where to fly to get back to Mount Caelum."

"Think more positively, Elsa." Rollo said. "Be more optimistic like your sister."

"That's what I've been trying to tell her for years!" Anna chimed in, loudly.

"Shh." Kristoff ordered, putting his finger over Anna's closed lips. "You'll scare it away, and if Rollo says it's important, I think it's best to believe him."

Elsa mentally agreed with Kristoff for once. What was she thinking? That Rollo was crazy? She reminded herself that Rollo was no fool nor was he not bright. Rollo's knowledge and skills took after those of Pabbie's, and that meant that he was the closest thing to Pabbie that existed. Rollo was wise enough to know not to waste their time as it was as precious as a ring that made people invisible. Both time and that certain fictional object was not to be wasted. She believed herself to be a fool for not giving Rollo more credit and faith.

"Okay," Elsa said, "I'm sorry. Now, what's so special about the butterfly."

"They are not mindless creatures." Rollo said. "Like every normal mind, they have a memory."

Elsa and the others started to understand exactly what Rollo meant by that. In some way unique to butterflies, they can remember. It may not exactly be the way humans remembered things, but they can remember nonetheless. And, if this particular butterfly originated from Mount Caelum, then it's probable that it can remember its way back. There was a slight problem in his plan, though. Butterflies were free creatures who never take orders from anyone, especially not humans. They couldn't simply just ask the butterfly to take them to the mountain.

Of course, everything and anything was possible in Olaf's mind. He was more optimistic than Anna ever was. To him, if there was a will, there was a way. He had the will to give the butterfly orders.

"Hey!" Olaf said, calling out the butterfly. "Can you please take us to Mount Caelum?"

The butterfly didn't do anything because, of course, it didn't understand a single word Olaf said. It did know, however, that Olaf was addressing it when he spoke.

"I'll take that as a no, then." Olaf said. He scoffed and turned back towards Rollo. "Butterflies are rude."

Rollo's eye was twitching due to Olaf's silliness. His silliness was almost to the point of it being stupidity. He had no idea what exactly was going on in Olaf's mind, and he also had no idea how it worked. He was pretty sure Olaf didn't even have a brain, too. He was not sure why they would keep Olaf around besides him being good company. He didn't hate Olaf at all. He just didn't believe that Olaf's mind worked properly.

"Is he serious?" Rollo asked Elsa.

"Just leave him be." Elsa said, shrugging. "No way to change him, no reason to change him."

"Alright." Rollo said, accepting the fact that he had to take Olaf as who he was. "Moving on, I suppose. Kristoff, would you kindly get me that butterfly."

Kristoff glanced up at the butterfly which was still in it's exact same position. He didn't know how to grab it without crushing it, therefore crushing their hopes in saving Kai. He knew that he needed to get something else for the butterfly to crawl onto that would make it easy for Rollo to get it. Kristoff then looked at Olaf and got an idea. He grabbed the carrot right off of Olaf's face and pulled it off. Olaf gasped while Anna thought to herself "That was kind of mean." Kristoff got closer to the tree where the butterfly made it's temporary home. He then stretched his arm so that the tip of the carrot in his hand touched the branch.

Slowly, the butterfly crawled onto the tip of the carrot. Kristoff slowly, cautiously, and carefully pulled the carrot away from the branch and approached Rollo who was a few feet away. Kristoff's hand was stretched over the tip of the carrot so that the butterfly wouldn't fly away out of fear. The butterfly didn't seem scared at all, though. It showed no signs of being uncomfortable as if it wanted to be a guide.

The tip of the carrot touched the tip of Rollo's fingers, and the butterfly crawled onto the rocky surface that was Rollo's hand. Kristoff took the carrot away and stuck it back onto Olaf the way he last saw it. Olaf was satisfied, and the expression on his face returned to its original, innocent, happy look.

"I may not know how to make darkness go away," Rollo said, "but I can do something else."

"And that is?" Anna asked.

"Make a fairy." Rollo answered.

Rollo carefully cupped his hand over the hand which held the butterfly. There was no form of escape for the butterfly now. Rollo left a small opening, smaller than the butterfly, between his thumb and palm. He brought the hole closer to his lips and closed his eyes. He whispered an enchantment in strange words that obviously weren't English. They weren't any language of the known Earth as a matter of fact. They were words of the magic kind. They were words that held true power. Never before have these words been spoken by Rollo, though. He knew them well, but this was his first time using the spell. Previously, he didn't understand when this spell would ever be handy. He was glad he didn't forget it.

After Rollo spoke the unknown words, he finally said in English "I grant you a new life."

He removed his hand that cupped the hand that held the butterfly. Instead of a butterfly, something else took it's place. It rose as Rollo removed his hand. The butterfly was now humanoid. It was obviously feminine. She had snow white skin without the flaws of anything else on it. Her hair was long enough to each her shoulders, but that's as far as it went. Her hair was a bright blue color, the color of the wings of the butterfly. Her clothing was all one piece and it was skin tight. The clothing material stretched down to her ankle and wrists. Her feet were bare, and so were her hands. On her back were wings the size of her body. The wings were exactly like the butterfly wings she once had, but bigger. In all, she stood about six inches tall, not very big enough to be menacing to anyone.

Her eyes were closed, but after a second, they shot open quickly. Her eye pupils were very large, almost taking up all of the eye, leaving a small white part at the sides. They were blue like everything else was on her body.

She then stretched her arms wide and arched her back, closing her eyes in the process. She opened her mouth wide as if yawning but no sound came out. After she was done silently stretching and yawning, her arms swung back down to her sides and she looked around at the people in front of her, studying each one carefully. She could remember the way these people acted when she was in her butterfly form. Elsa was worried, Anna was optimistic, Kristoff was tough, and Olaf was happy going. She got these people figured out without even getting to know them well.

The fairy then raised her hand and waved at them as a greeting. She knew that a handshake wouldn't be the best way to greet them because she was a thousand times smaller than them.

"Hello." Anna said, waving with her fingers. Kristoff crossed his arms and politely nodded at the fairy, another way to greet someone. Elsa smiled and mouthed the word "Hi", silently. Olaf raised his stick arm up and waved.

"Since when could you do that?" Kristoff asked, admiring the fairy. He had no idea how a butterfly could create a fairy in the blink of an eye. Surely the fairy was just getting used to her new humanoid form.

"A few seconds ago." Rollo said. "That's the first time I ever attempted it. Thank rocks that I didn't mess up the enchantment."

"What happens if you did mess up?" Anna asked.

"Well," Rollo answered, "I could've accidentally created a tentacle monster which could very much consume all living things."

"Is that a joke?" Anna asked.

"Yes." Rollo admitted. "Honestly, I don't know what would happen if I messed up. Just be thankful that I didn't."

The fairy turned her head towards Rollo, who was right behind her, still holding her in his hand. She nodded at him with pursed lips as if acknowledging or thanking the fact that he didn't mess up.

"You don't talk much, do you?" Elsa asked, smiling. She was charmed by this magnificent creature she didn't know existed. The fairy was definitely elegant and beautiful in it's own way.

The fairy turned towards Elsa and shook her head, confirming the fact that she was mute. Either she didn't know how to speak or she physically couldn't speak. At least her hearing and comprehension was perfect.

"Why can't she speak?" Anna asked Rollo.

"Not sure." Rollo answered. "She used to be a butterfly, and butterflies don't speak. She just physically doesn't have the skill yet."

"Yet?" Anna asked.

"Give it time," Rollo said, "and she might be able to say a few words. Might."

"Does she have a name?" Olaf asked.

"Hm." Rollo said. "I really haven't thought about that. Is there anything specific you'd like us to call you?"

The fairy turned to face Rollo and shrugged. She couldn't care less what her name was as long as it wasn't something silly or vulgar. She knew these people were nice enough not to give her a mean name. Besides, even if she had something in mind, she wouldn't be able to say it since she physically couldn't. She also had a feeling that they would get nowhere in determining her desired name if she used hand motions. With that in mind, she just let the others decide what to call her. She prayed silently that it wouldn't be something like "Butterfly".

"Flutter?" Anna suggested. She was a butterfly before she was a fairy, and butterflies fluttered around with their wings. Anna had a feeling that the fairy would flutter around a lot with her new ones. Instead of nodding, the fairy closed her eyes and shook her head in disappointment. She obviously wanted another name.

"Fly?" Kristoff suggested. He wasn't the best at coming up with names, especially for a fairy who was a complete stranger to him. He thought the fairy wanted something short and cool for a name. Fly fit that description. Once again, though, she closed her eyes and shook her head, sticking her tongue out this time. Kristoff was not offended at all. It was most likely that she wouldn't like that name. Fly fit more as a boy's name anyway.

"Flow?" Elsa suggested. The name was short and sweet, just like the fairy. Elsa hoped that she would like it, but the fairy just tilted her head for a second as if thinking about whether or not to choose that name. Soon, she shook her head one more time, thinking that Flow fit more for an older fairy rather than a newborn one.

"What about Bloom?" Olaf asked.

The word Bloom echoed in the fairy's ear, and she instantly loved it. Rapidly, she nodded her head, satisfied with the name. She bloomed from a butterfly and was given new life. Bloom was something new and was always associated with something pretty and colorful. She loved it immensely.

"All right." Rollo said. "Bloom it is."

Bloom then flew off of Rollo's hand as fast as her wings would allow her to move. She flew towards Olaf in a blur and stood on top of the tip of his carrot nose. She gave him two thumbs up and a large smile. She then politely nodded at him as a form of thanks, and with that, flew off of his nose and into the air. Bloom's wings allowed her to float in the air in between all of her new friends. She was happy to be free from the limited form of a butterfly. She knew that she never wanted to go back to what she was before again.

"Isn't she cute?" Anna asked.

"Indeed." Elsa agreed.

"Yes." Rollo said. "But, back to business. Bloom!"

The fairy turned to his direction and straightened her back. She put on a rugged, serious face a soldier might possess when speaking to his superior. She saluted Rollo and kept her arm there.

"Our friends here need your help." Rollo said. "You know the way to Mount Caelum, yes?"

Bloom nodded quickly.

"They need to find a man by the name of Arthar, there." Rollo said. "Do you know who this is?"

Bloom shook her head. She had never seen anyone named Arthar before. But, she hasn't explored all of the area around Mount Caelum either. It was possible he had made his home somewhere she had never bothered to look such as the mountain itself.

"That's quite alright." Rollo said, assuring her that it was okay for her not to know a certain, although vital, piece of information. "That just adds an extra step to your journey. Bloom, I need you to guide these group of nice people to Mount Caelum. Can you do that for me?"

Bloom nodded again. She was fairly confident that she could get this job done in no time flat. How hard could it be? She didn't remember any obstacles on her mindless journey to the Valley of the Living Rock. It sounded like a piece of cake to her. What could go wrong?

"Well, Elsa," Rollo said, "looks like you have your guide."

"You have my everlasting gratitude." Elsa thanked. Her smile then faded. A thank you wasn't enough to make even what has happened. Even after their father figure was killed, they still were determined to help however way they can. Elsa just said thank you. She knew that she could never repay the favors given to them by the trolls. She owed the trolls so much, even her life. She felt selfish and unfair for taking and not giving back. She knew that the trolls would never ask for anything back, nor would they accept any material gifts. All she could do was make sure life for them will be easy. After what happened earlier that night, it was the least she could do.

"I promise, Rollo," Elsa said, "I'm going to make things right."

"I do not doubt that." Rollo said. "The night is still young. Best you leave now so that you won't give anyone the luxury of day to track you down. You'll need a head start."

"Of course." Elsa said.

"Can we go home, first?" Anna requested. "I need to say goodbye to Lena. In case... In case we're not coming back."

* * *

><p>Kai jumped through the portal and entered the same old temple-like structure he was in when he woke up. The first thing he saw was Deren sitting on the large stone table, looking as bored as he could ever be. He had his sword in his hand and a piece of cloth in the other. It was obvious that he was polishing his blade. Kai couldn't remember a time when Deren used his sword, so whatever he was polishing his sword from was questionable.<p>

As the portal closed behind him, Kai could hear the footsteps of someone walking with high heels from behind him. The footsteps echoed throughout the entire dark structure, like most small noises. Kai turned around to face Mara who had a rather smug look on her face.

Quickly, the smile faded as fast as it came across her mouth. She was going to ask if Kai did it, but, seeing that Kai was empty handed, she knew that the mission was a fail. She wanted so badly to just strike Kai down where he stood. What use was he to her if he couldn't complete his first task? She had half a mind to shatter the crystal ball that contained Kai's memories. Surely, Elsa knew of Kai's darker nature, and she surely knew that he had forgotten all of his memories. That would mean that they would be more aware and watch their backs.

Deren looked at the back of Kai's head and saw something that wasn't there before. There was a white streak of hair in the back, impossible to miss. He recognized the streaks of white hair. Both he and Kai got them when Elsa accidentally froze their hearts. Deren just hoped that Kai's heart wasn't frozen. That would mean he wouldn't have the pleasure of killing Kai himself.

"What happened?" Mara demanded, walking more friskily than she ever did before.

"I'll ask the questions first, thank you!" Kai said. "That girl, the princess, kept saying that she knew me and I knew her. They were awfully surprised by my appearance. Why?"

"I told you," Mara said, "they're masters of deceit. They'll say whatever they can to save their own skin."

"People don't just keep playing along with a lie before death." Kai said.

"What would you know of people?" Mara asked, angrily. She wanted to talk on and on about how people always mistreated her those many years ago. But, she considered the fact that she may accidentally give away her true nature if she did. She calmed herself down to continue to talk to Kai. "If I recall," Mara continued, "you lost your memories. Remember, I can get them back. At this rate, though, you'll never get them back. So watch you mouth."

"You can help me, yes." Kai agreed. "But let's not forget you wanted me to help you. You scratch my back, I'll scratch yours. It doesn't seem that I need to take orders from you. We're people who need each other to achieve certain goals. That's it."

Mara closed her eyes and sighed. Kai was being rather difficult to handle. It would be better for both hers and Deren's conscious to just kill Kai right then and there, but it was better for her interests to keep him alive for the moment. There was a possibility that not all hope was lost for her. When suffering a failure, try again.

Mara sighed. "Very well." Mara said. "They'll do whatever they can to keep themselves alive even to the death. They're cowards that way; not being able to accept their inevitable fate. Now, I ask again; What happened?"

Kai told his story to them exactly the way he remembered it. He explained how he chased Anna throughout the castle until he finally got her in a choke hold. Then, he said he felt something cold in the back of his head before he blacked out. He told them how he woke up in a cave with an old humanoid rock next to him. After failing to get answers, he killed the rock with his bare hands. He then told them how he saw Elsa and her friends run towards him but he used the pearl to escape.

"She was right in front of you," Mara said, "and you let her go?!"

"I didn't let her go." Kai said. "I had to retreat. There were too many of them."

"I know your combat prowess, Kai." Mara said. "You easily could have taken them on."

"I don't know how Elsa fights." Kai countered. "I might have been in more than I bargained for. Besides, I couldn't risk anyone entering the portal with me. I did what I thought was best."

"And for that you ruined the fact that you were anonymous." Mara said.

"Hey!" Kai said. "If the way I handle things bothers you, why don't you get off your ass, go out there and do it yourself."

Mara's fist clenched and her grip around her staff tightened. Just one spell could take him out right then and there. Kai knew that Mara was tempted to because the little green wispy flame on top of the black staff become larger and more violent. He placed his hand over the hilt of his sword in case anything went wrong in the next few seconds. He was prepared for anything, including taking Mara on. He would not allow himself to be bullied by anyone, even Mara. He didn't care if attacking her in self defense meant breaking their deal. He would find another way to get what is rightfully his.

Mara's green flame died down and so did she. She steadied and calmed herself once again, sick and tired of arguing and going back and forth with Kai. She had no doubt about it that Kai would break their deal in a moment's notice. If so, she would still get Elsa by using Deren who was for sure to have less sympathy if any at all. She did understand, though, that it would be better for her to keep Kai as her ally. He was a powerful asset whom only an idiot would waste. Mara did not consider herself an idiot.

"I'll give you a second chance." Mara says. "If you don't succeed this time, our deal is broken and you'll have to find another way to get back your memories."

Kai's hand slowly lifted away from his sword. He too calmed down.

"Fair enough." Kai said. "Any idea where to start."

"No doubt about it that they'll return to Arendelle." Mara answered. "They have no where else to go, anyway. Where else can they? Only, I'm sure that the security over there has been increased immensely. It won't be as easy as last time."

"Doesn't matter if it's easy or not." Kai said. "I'll find a way."

Mara reached into her black cloak and pulled something out. It was another black portal pearl which she seemed to have an infinite supply of. She handed it to Kai, careful not to drop the incredibly fragile object. Kai took it and put it into his pocket so he would have an idea where it is. He was about to ask Mara for more, but then he realized that she wasn't going to give him anymore, even if he asked. The next time she saw him, she wanted to see an unconscious queen in his arms. She couldn't allow him to make a bunch of random trips in and out of the temple. He had one pearl for one travel. That was his minimum and maximum.

"I remember the way to Arendelle." Kai told Mara. "I don't need a babysitter." He looked over at Deren for a quick glimpse and then back at Mara. "Next time I'm here, I expect for you to help me get my memories."

"Next time you're here," Mara repeated, "I expect you to bring royalty."

Kai nodded at Mara, understanding the terms, rewards, and consequences for their deal. He turned around toward the large staircase and began to walk away from Mara and Deren. As he walked, Mara just kept looking at him, leaning onto her staff. Kai had a feeling that she was still watching, but he didn't bother showing anything that hinted to his knowing of it. He just took it as one phrase: Don't try anything funny. Soon, Kai exited the temple when he walked through the doorway that led up to another set of stairs.

Deren sheathed his sword and slid off of the table. He then made his way towards Mara until he was standing next to each other. They weren't facing each other, but they began to engage in a conversation.

"If we give them time," Deren said, "they might be able to convince Kai of who he really is."

"We won't be giving them time." Mara assured him. "Kai especially won't. He has the do first and ask questions later mentality. He'll be too busy trying to subdue Elsa he won't even take her words into mind."

"You seem really confident about that." Deren said. "I'll be rolling on the ground laughing when this idea of yours blows up in your face."

It was obvious that he didn't trust Kai to get the job done correctly, nor did he trust that Kai wouldn't remember everything on his own or with the help of the others. If they lost Kai as an asset, they'll be thrown a few steps back. If he did begin to remember, what's to stop him from telling the others about Mara? They'll do whatever they can to stop Mara, and she'll be powerless to stop them. One of the greatest things she had in the upper hand was that she was anonymous. They had to keep it that way or else they would lose undoubtedly.

"You lack faith in Kai?" Mara asked.

"Of course." Deren revealed. "Don't lie and say you don't."

"Perhaps you're right." Mara said.

"Kai might regain his memories even without you." Deren said.

"No possible way." Mara said. "He did not forget them. I took them. They're mine now. You can't regain what has been taken from another."

"But there's still a possibility they will talk him down into their side." Deren said. "What then?"

"What are you suggesting, Deren?" Mara asked, sick and tired of going back and forth once again and wanting to just get to the point. Deren would not engage in a conversation if there was no point to it.

"I can be your insurance." Deren said. "I'll stick to the shadows and make sure that Kai will go through with the plan."

"Let's say you catch Kai failing in the act of kidnapping Elsa by remembering who she is to him." Mara said. "What then?"

"Then I'll have to take both of them in, assuming you give me another pearl." Deren answered. "I imagine I'll be able to bring them both in. I'll kill the others."

"No." Mara said. "I have another idea. I'd rather them be alive to witness the sky of shadows. I want them to know that I beat them and that they can do nothing to stop it. Then, they will die."

"As you wish." Deren said. "I'm not promising to take the non essential people in, though."

"Very well." Mara said. "Follow him."

**To be continued in the next chapter**

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><p>Author's Note: Hope you guys liked the chapter. This one was up a bit earlier than I originally thought it was going to be. That's not a bad thing, I hope. Anyway, I'll try to manage one more chapter after this one before I go on Christmas vacation. I'll be taking a break from writing during vacation. I don't know exactly when the next action chapter will be as this story will have less frequent fight scenes but more chase scenes and things as such. I promise that the climax of the story will be the most epic, intense, longest, and action packed chapter(s) I have ever written! Just stick with me to the end for the fantastic parts.<p>

Making Bloom was really unique for me. She was probably the first non-human original character I have ever written. The way she acts will be very different compared to how others act. I hope you guys enjoy her in the story.

**QOTD: Deren. Do you hate him? Do you love him? Do you hate to love him? Or do you love to hate him? What do you think of him? **

Ciao.


	19. Another Day, Another Journey

**Another Day, Another Journey**

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><p>Anna didn't want to say goodbye. She seemed to do that a lot. Many times has she found herself voluntarily leaving the comforts of the home she loves dearly, and leaving her old life behind to embark on a crazy adventure which the odds of survival may be slim. The first time, she literally died when she came back, although it worked out for her in the end. The second time she left home was when she was kidnapped by the Bandits who had no other choice but to take her rather than Elsa. The third time was when she left home, disobeying Elsa's orders, and looked for the kidnapped royalties in order to save her kingdom from it's imminent doom. Her life wasn't normal, that was for sure.<p>

As they traveled through the forest, heading towards Mount Caelum, Anna couldn't help but remember the last exchange she had with her beloved daughter, Lena. The baby had no idea exactly what was happening nor did she have a clue on what Anna, Kristoff, Elsa, Sven, and Olaf were up to. Anna could remember the tears which lightly trickled down her cheeks when she had to say goodbye to Lena.

"Mommy has to go away for a bit, okay?" Anna told her. "Be a good girl while I'm gone and please don't be a hassle to the servants. They're going to take good care of you, honey. I love you."

After saying that, Anna kissed her daughter's forehead to which the baby giggled because it must've tickled her. Afterwords, Kristoff did a similar goodbye but hugged the baby tightly instead of kissing her. Elsa was too busy instructing the servants and guards on what to do while they were gone. They were told to also put up papers around the town so that the civilians would know about the absence of the royalty for a few days.

The guards had offered to accompany and escort Elsa on her mission, which would have been very wise to accept. Unfortunately, she declined their offer, but not without good reason. She figured that what she and her family was doing was a very personally matter and should be completed by those who loved Kai the most. Also, they were using Kristoff's sled as their main mode of transportation, and there was no way Sven could carry more than three people, not including Olaf.

They were able to change their clothes as well. They figured that it would be best for them to have a new, fresh, clean pair of clothes for the trip. They had to wear clothes that they thought would be comfortable for them during the journey.

Elsa's clothes were similar to the one she did during her coronation. This time, however, the color scheme was all blue. Her leggings and sleeves were a dark, navy blue. Her long skirt, which went down to above her knees instead of to her ankles, was a regular blue just like the color of her upper body clothes. She wore boots which had very small heels, probably not the best thing to wear during a journey, but it was all she had. Her cape was a blue that matched the upper part of her dress and it went down to her calves rather than it being incredibly long. Her hair was completely undone and unbraided. It was straight, but it swept down over her left shoulder like it usually did.

Anna wore a variation the old winter dress which she wore during many occasions like the one where she looked for Elsa. The light green sleeves were tight, rather than loose like they usually were. She wore leggings that matched that color as well. She fashioned a hood which was a separate piece of clothing from her dress. It was dark green and went down to her lower back. She could snap the hood on and off as she pleased.

Kristoff wore cotton grey pants that went down to his knees. He wore large boots, big enough to fit his feet, and it overlapped part of his pants. His top was the same grey but it had buttons running from the bottom to the top of the jacket. The sleeves stopped halfway between his wrists and elbows.

After they packed some food such as fruits and pastries which Anna kept with her in her satchel, they were off as soon as possible. At first, Sven pulled the sled as hard as he could in his fastest possible speed. Anna sat in the middle, Kristoff to her right, and Elsa to her left. Olaf sat on top of Sven, and Bloom the fairy sat on Anna's lap, trying her best not to be blown away. All of that weight could only be pulled for so long. Sven soon broke into more of a reindeer jog than sprint.

Every so often, they would stop for a little more then ten minutes up to half an hour for Sven to rest.

Bloom really didn't need to lead them for a while until they got to the North Mountain. The way to that mountain was in Kristoff's knowledge. Since they only an hour or two after their encounter with the trolls, they were able to make it to the North Mountain in no time even if they needed to give Sven a few breaks. It was roughly mid-day when they finally got to the North Mountain.

Elsa requested that they would pass by her old ice palace before they left the Mountain Completely. It has been about four years for her since she last saw it. She remembered how she was involuntarily taken from this palace in which she called home by Hans, some of Weselton's thugs, and her own castle guards. She somewhat missed the old place. Although it was very lonely over there, the peace and serene surrounding is what she loved most about it.

She was disappointed when she saw that the castle was no longer there. She stood at the top of a hill which was now deprived from snow as winter had yet to fall. However, since the ice she made the castle with couldn't be melted by the sun, shards of ice from the remains of her castle were scattered everywhere on the hill. There was no longer a stairway over the abyss below as well. Every trace of her once beautiful palace was now nothing but shards of ice.

"What happened here?" Elsa asked.

"It was fine the last time I saw it." Anna said.

"Yeah it was." Kristoff agreed. "I was with her. Kai must've done this."

"How could Kai possibly do this much damage?" Elsa asked.

She wasn't there. The palace suffered many cracks from nails which weren't meant for those walls. Marshmallow's battle with Kai also damaged the palace significantly. Although Marshmallow didn't make it out of his fight because of Cade, the palace still took enough damage for it to topple over. That's exactly what it did.

When Elsa placed her foot forward to just change her standing position, she felt something crack beneath her foot. She thought that it was the rock of the mountain giving away, but it turned out that she had just stepped on a shard of ice. The small sliver of the remains of her castle lay in multiple small pieces beneath her.

Anna looked over at Elsa. She could see the uncomforted face on her sister. She was clearly upset, but she was upset many times. Was it perhaps that the beautiful palace she worked hard on was destroyed and reduced to nothing but tiny shards? Or was it because she was thinking of Kai? She didn't seem to be able to be rid of Kai from her thoughts. How could she? He was out there somewhere with no idea who he is or what he has done. By taking away his memories, everything he was was taken away as well.

"Elsa?" Anna asked. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah." Elsa said, snapping herself back into reality. The reality where she had family waiting on her. A reality where her thoughts were insignificant.

"Yeah." Elsa repeated. "It's just... So fragile."

"What is?" Anna asked.

"Everything." Elsa answered. "The palace was built so that it would endure so much. Now look at it. The same goes with Kai. After everything he's done, after everything's he's been through, it was all shattered just like that. Why can't everything just last forever for once? Why does everything need to break down? Why can't we love something without the fear of it going away?"

Elsa was not on the verge of tears, though. She was done crying. She knew that expressing any form of sadness would not help anyone at all. It wouldn't even make her feel better. She was all out of tears. She was done being weak in front of other people. She had to be what Kai taught her to be. She had to be tough. She had to be able to protect others at the cost of her own personal losses. She had to save Kai and give back what was his. She owed him that much. Even after everything the two have been through together, she still owed him so much.

Kristoff walked up to Elsa and did the most unexpected thing. He gently put his hand over her shoulder. The two have had their differences for the last day or two, and physical contact with each other was not their priority. But, he could feel the pain her words. He knew that she was suffering inside, even if she wasn't showing it. She was still his family, in law or not.

"Better not dwell on the past." Kristoff said. "We can't change what has happened. We try to change our futures into brighter ones by acting in the present. We can't let our past determine a present and future we don't want."

"Isn't that what we're doing?" Elsa asked. "We're trying to fix something that happened in the past, right? Hate to say this Kristoff, but you're wrong. Our past is what defines us. Kai doesn't have a past anymore. It was taken from him, as Pabbie said. So, tell me, what defines him right now?"

Kristoff knew where Elsa was taking this conversation. He tried to comfort her but she did what she could to change the tides and turn the conversation around to something he didn't want to talk about.

Kristoff frowned. "The present." He answered.

"Correct." Elsa said, distantly. "Presently, he's an amnesiac madman who knows nothing of anything. What do you think he is now?"

"A monster." Kristoff answered. "A rapid animal let loose with no leash." He didn't want to be ignorant in front of Elsa. He knew she was right. Kai was dead or at least deprived from life. Whatever he was now could not stay.

"Yes." Elsa confirmed. "Kai can't be defined by what he has done if he doesn't know it. Even if we know it, he won't accept it. He won't let the good in his past inspire good in his future. That's why we need to get him his memory back. We need to have him defined by good again."

"Then what're we waiting for?" Kristoff asked, smirking.

Their little visit to Elsa's destroyed palace was over at that point. Kristoff tied Sven back to the sled. Bloom stood on top of one of Sven's antlers, waiting for the others to take their place so they could go. It was about her turn to lead the others. Past the North Mountain was unknown territory, alien to Kristoff and the others. Only Bloom knew the way.

As Elsa walked to the sled, Anna called her out from behind. Elsa turned her head to face her sister.

"Elsa," Anna said, "you said that Kai was a rapid animal let loose with no leash. Who let him loose?"

"I don't know." Elsa answered. "But I intend to find out."

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><p>Kai had no idea why everyone in town was crowding around the plaza of the castle. He was able to see that one man, obviously a guard as he wore a green cloak which was significantly worn by every guard. He stood on top of what looked like a platform to Kai from afar. He was actually standing on top of a large box which could support his weight without breaking.<p>

Kai could hear the chatter among the crowds as the guard began his speech. Kai had half a mind to step in and join the crowd but something in his mind stopped him. His attack in the Arendelle Castle wasn't necessarily subtle. He made a large mess in the castle as a matter of fact. No doubt about it was he currently infamous to the city. He was fairly certain that one or two of the citizens might know his face. He needed to keep his cover.

Kai looked around and found a nearby building which had physical features which popped out the side of the wall such as windows, loose bricks, and holes wood. He instantly ran to it and began to climb swiftly. He didn't fear falling at all. To him, it felt like he had been climbing for his entire life. He couldn't explain where that feeling came from, but it was there. He had to get his memory back. He had to remember.

He walked to the edge of the building, standing on top of the overhang. He then kneeled down on one knee and focused all of his attention on the guard. From above, he could see that the guard was holding a piece of paper in his hand. Kai had no way of reading it from all the way up where he was.

"Good citizens of Arendelle!" The guard announced. "To quell any suspicions or rumors about our Queen Elsa and Princess Anna and their current activities, they have instructed us to reveal their current whereabouts."

"You mean they're not hear?" Asked one civilian from the crowd.

"I'm afraid not." The guard said.

Damn, Kai thought. He had no idea where to look at the moment. Arendelle was his best bet at finding Elsa. He thought it would be easy to track her down and take her in. He imagined how things would go down in his mind. Now, he had to start from square one in finding the queen. Then, he remembered that the guard mentioned something about revealing their whereabouts. He had to pay close attention to this now. It was his last chance, and he wasn't willing to ruin it.

"The good Queen, her sister, the Princess, and her husband, the Royal Ice Master have all left for Mount Caelum." The guard announced. "The specific details and why have not been shared, but all we know is that it is regarding a personal matter. This leave of absence should not affect the land or it's government in any way, so fret not. They have given their word that they should return in no time."

"Then who's in charge?" Asked another citizen.

"Currently, no one." The guard answered. "It does not seem that any executive decisions would be made which would require the word of royalty, so don't worry. Just go about with your daily lives. Dismissed!"

Kai could spot small papers around the plaza below him, each with roughly the same pattern of large words. Their absence was being noted all throughout the city. In case he ever forgot where they were going, he could simply glance at one of the papers and find out by himself.

He climbed down the building and landed flawlessly on his feet. Remembering to keep anonymous, he pulled up his hood, covering his eyes under shadow. He was still able to see perfectly though.

Right, Kai thought to himself. I need to find where this Mount Caelum is, and I need a means to get there.

It didn't take long for Kai to find a store inside the city which had exactly what he was looking for. Inside a book store, they sold countless maps which were both updated and outdated. Surely he could find a map which would give him the route from Arendelle to Mount Caelum.

He looked through many papers in scroll form for a while until he found a map marked with Mount Caelum on a piece of paper that was connected to the outside of the scroll. Kai instantly grabbed it and opened it up. Sure enough, there was a long red line starting from Arendelle on the bottom of the map to a drawn mountain labeled Mount Caelum at the top of it. At the halfway point was a mountain labeled The North Mountain. Around the red line were drawn marks such as a bridge, large rocks, and specially shaped trees.

"Let's hope I don't lose my way." Kai said to himself.

He had no reason to stay any longer. If they were headed to Mount Caelum, so was he. Instead of buying the map like he was supposed to, he folded it into a small square and put it in his pocket. He had to look around twice to make sure no one was looking at him. He was lucky that no attention was being paid on him. He rushed out of the shop and pulled up his hood on the way out.

Conveniently, Kai spotted a man in rather fancy clothing on top of a golden colored horse. That was his ticket to the mountain.

Kai approached the horseman, passing a few civilians and pushing some of them to the side. When Kai got to him, Kai grabbed the man's forearm and squeezed. The man looked down and gave Kai an annoyed look.

"What do you want?" The man asked. He recognized Kai from somewhere, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. It must've been a long time since he had seen Kai's face. Those eyes were a color which did not belong to anyone else besides Kai.

"I need you horse." Kai said.

"Piss off." The man told Kai.

"I wasn't asking." Kai said.

Kai then grabbed the man and pulled him off of the horse with all of the strength he could muster. The man toppled down onto the ground, and rolled a few feet away from his horse and Kai. Civilians in the street gasped in shock as they witnessed Kai hijack the noblemen from his horse. Kai ignored them, though. Why would he care what they thought of him? Their lives and opinions were worthless to Kai. It wasn't like he ever had to apologize to these people, anyways.

With a map and a horse, Kai rode out of the city and to the mountain.

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><p>Kristoff was starting to wish that they had brought some blankets and pillows with them. The one thing they didn't think about was resting comfortably at night. Being royalty, comfort was a pleasure and privilege they all learned to enjoy immensely. They weren't used to sleeping anywhere else besides a warm, comfy bed. Call them spoiled, but it was true. Sleeping out in the wilderness was incredibly uncomfortable and was not preferred over a castle.<p>

The night sky was covering them. The full moon shined brightly upon the tiny clearing in the forest where they decided to call it a day and sleep. Since they didn't bring anything that resembled a sleeping bag, the closest thing they had to comfort was Kristoff's sled. He initially called dibs on the seats, but seeing as though he was a great "gentleman", he let the sisters crash on it instead of him. Instead, he leaned his head and back on top of Sven who was curled up on the ground. Kristoff's beanie was covering his face in hopes of no distractions while he slept.

Olaf, even though he was a snowman, did his best to try to sleep. He just stood there in the clearing, standing but with his eyes closed. He was perfectly still, showing no movement. Bloom curled up on top of a branch that hanged low on a nearby tree.

Elsa and Anna both had trouble sleeping. The two sat inside Kristoff's sled, both of with their feet resting on top of the wooden hood of the sled; something Kristoff hated. They both had their heads facing towards the sky, admiring the stars.

"Remember when we used to do this as kids, Elsa?" Anna asked, remembering the fun they had prior to Elsa shutting herself out.

"Yeah." Elsa answered. "Except back then, it was just us. Who'd have thought seventeen years later we would still be doing the same thing?"

"I honestly thought we were never going to do something like this again." Anna said. "Too bad the circumstances suck."

"Psh." Elsa said. "What's wrong with the circumstances? We're off to an unknown land in hopes of finding a socially deprived and exiled old troll who may or may not be there, much less alive. Also, we probably have Kai who's currently under some sort of spell which makes him incredibly violent and ruthless. The circumstances could be worse."

"How?" Anna asked.

"We could have have to go all the way there on foot." Elsa answered. "Consider ourselves lucky."

Anna found herself shivering. She rubbed her shoulders and arms in attempts to try to warm herself. She turned her green cape so that it was covering her body and so that it was acting like a blanket. Even then, she was cold.

Anna looked over at Elsa to find her not even moving a bit because of the cold. That's right, Anna thought. Elsa wasn't bothered by cold temperatures. Neither was she bothered by high temperatures because she always managed to cool herself down somehow.

"Lucky you." Anna said. "You don't even need a blanket."

"Being able to manipulate ice has its perks." Elsa agreed.

Before Elsa could say another word, something caught her scent. It was an incredibly pleasant aroma which was easy to miss as it was so faint. Still, Elsa was able to spot it. It seemed to be coming from Anna's satchel which was laying on the bottom of the sled.

"What's in the satchel?" Elsa asked.

Anna's eyes widened, believing Elsa was onto her. "Nothing." Anna said quickly. "Only bread and fruits remember?"

"Then what's that smell?" Elsa asked.

"Must be the bread." Anna lied.

"No," Elsa said, "bread doesn't taste like that. It's something else."

As Elsa reached down to grab the satchel, Anna swung her cape away from her body as quick as she could, freeing her arms. She leaned down, quicker than Elsa did, and snatched the satchel away from Elsa's grasp. She then hugged it tightly, next to her chest.

"Anna!" Elsa said. "What's wrong with you? What's in the bag?"

"Nothing." Anna lied. "Don't worry about it."

"You're making a huge effort to protect it from me." Elsa said. "I'm worry about it."

Elsa then grabbed a part of the satchel and tried to yank it away from Anna. Anna hugged it tighter, but it broke away from her hug and she had to resort to grabbing it and pulling it away from Elsa. The two fought each other over the satchel by pulling. Elsa was scared that if Anna didn't give up, the satchel would rip. Soon, Elsa had enough of struggling. Using her hand, she shot a blast of ice at Anna's lips and covered her mouth in ice. Anna, who was in shock, accidentally let go of the bag.

Elsa took the satchel away from Anna and opened it up. She saw nothing but bread and different fruits, but when she reached deeper inside, she pulled out something she did not expect. She pulled out a handful of chocolate.

"Anna!" Elsa said, angrily. "You brought chocolate and you didn't even tell me?"

Elsa saw that Anna was unable to speak because of her ice covered mouth. Elsa flicked her fingers, and the ice turned into tiny snowflakes which drifted downward, onto Anna's lap.

"Explain." Elsa demanded.

"Well," Anna told Elsa, "I'll be the first to admit that I have a chocolate problem. Once in a while, I just need to have some. If I told you, surely you'll want some for yourself, and then there will be less for me."

The two began to playfully bicker until they finally managed to fall asleep a few minutes later.

The easy part of their journey was over. Passing the North Mountain was child's play. The hard part had just begun.

**To be continued in the next chapter**

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><p>Author's Note: Hope you guys liked the chapter! Please reviewcomment! Hope you guys have a Happy Holidays and a Merry Christmas (if you're not Christian/Catholic, I don't mean to offend).

Ciao.


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